Why D-backs optioned their top prospect back to Triple-A

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The Diamondbacks optioned their top prospect, outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt, to Triple-A Reno to make room for outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who was reinstated from the 10-day injured list.

Waldschmidt, ranked as the No. 30 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline, was promoted to the big leagues on May 8 and immediately gave the D-backs a boost both offensively and defensively. Over his first 57 plate appearances, Waldschmidt slashed .353/.411/.471.

However, as is often the case with players when they first come up, the league adjusted to him, and over his last 65 plate appearances, he slashed .180/.231/.262.

Those struggles might have been easier for the Diamondbacks to stick with if the rest of the offense was firing on all cylinders, but the fact is right now the offense is preventing the club from taking off.

"We felt like he was starting to maybe need a reset," Arizona general manager Mike Hazen said. "He did a good job while he was up here. He helped us win baseball games. And he’ll be back to help us win again. I think he started chasing a little bit. I think part of his game, being ahead in the count, getting pitches to hit, there was a little bit of [swinging] and missing there. I think as he starts to tighten all that down, you’ll start to see a little bit more power."

At-bats have gotten tougher to come by in the outfield, with Gurriel's return combined with Jordan Lawlar's reinstatement over the weekend in Cincinnati.

Right fielder Corbin Carroll rarely receives a day off, and Lawlar is going to get an extended run of playing time in center. That meant that Waldschmidt was going to have to fight for at-bats with Gurriel and fellow rookie Tommy Troy.

Gurriel will see some at-bats at designated hitter, so there will be some playing time available in left field, and right now that will go to Troy.

"I think Tommy has played really, really well out there," Hazen said.

The Diamondbacks could have designated outfielder Jorge Barrosa, who is out of Minor League options, for assignment to make room for Gurriel, but Barrosa's defense is valuable and there is not the same urgency to get him everyday at-bats.

"First of all, Barrosa is one of the top defensive outfielders in all of baseball," Hazen said. "There’s an elite skill there that we would be giving up on and would be going somewhere else. I just didn’t feel like somebody like Waldschmidt, who has his track experience level, that this is the right time to have him sitting on the bench."

The organization is confident that Waldschmidt will be back. The more immediate concern is getting the offense as a whole going.

"I think the quality of our at-bats needs to continue to improve, one through nine," Hazen said. "I don't think we've done a very good job of that recently. I think we're starting to put some guys on base a little bit, but you see the way we perform with runners in scoring position. We need to continue to do a better job to be more consistent on a day-in and day-out basis. The offense needs to perform at a higher level collectively, but it's not on any one guy."