Jordan Lawlar is back on the field, and that alone is the headline the Diamondbacks needed.
The 24-year-old outfielder opened a rehab assignment with Double-A Amarillo on Tuesday, his first game action since going on the 10-day injured list June 20 with a right hamstring strain. He’s slated to play again Wednesday, then take a day off before the next step is sorted out.
It’s been a stop-and-start season for Lawlar from the beginning. The hamstring issue was the second injury to put him on the 60-day IL this year, after he played only six games to start the season and then broke his wrist when he was hit by a pitch on April 2. He came back for another six games before the hamstring injury hit, leaving him with just 12 games played this season.
His return would be a timely boost for an outfield that is also without Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Tommy Troy. Gurriel is dealing with a strained right adductor, while Troy has a sprained right AC joint.
Neither player has a specific return date yet, which is part of why the Diamondbacks moved to add veteran outfielder Lars Nootbaar from St. Louis on Monday.
The injury picture doesn’t stop there. Corbin Burnes is set to begin bullpen sessions, Drey Jameson threw a simulated game on Tuesday, Justin Martinez started a rehab assignment at Single-A Visalia on Tuesday, Blake Walston began a rehab assignment at Triple-A Reno on Tuesday, and Michael Soroka was scheduled to pitch for Triple-A Reno on Tuesday.
As for Lawlar’s first rehab game, the box score was quiet: he went 0-for-3 and was charged with an error in center field in the bottom of the second inning. But on Tuesday, the result mattered less than the simple fact that he was back out there.
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