Jordan Lawlar is working his way back into form.
The 24-year-old outfielder has been on the 10-day IL since June 20 with a right hamstring strain, but he made his first rehab appearance with Double-A Amarillo on Tuesday. He is expected to play again on Wednesday before taking a day off, when next steps will be determined.
Lawlar’s strained hamstring was the second injury to land him on the 60-day IL this season, as he played just six games at the beginning of the season before he suffered a broken wrist after he was hit by a pitch on April 2.
He returned for just six more games before injuring his hamstring, meaning Lawlar has been limited to just 12 games this season.
His eventual return will provide welcome relief for an outfield that’s also missing Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (strained right adductor) and Tommy Troy (sprained right AC joint). Neither Gurriel nor Troy have a specific return date listed yet, so the D-backs acquired veteran outfielder Lars Nootbaar from St. Louis on Monday to provide additional support.
The Diamondbacks have several other injured players set to begin various rehab assignments, including pitchers Corbin Burnes (bullpen sessions beginning), Drey Jameson (simulated game on Tuesday), Justin Martinez (rehab assignment at Single-A Visalia on Tuesday), Blake Walston (rehab assignment at Triple-A Reno on Tuesday), and Michael Soroka (scheduled to pitch for Triple-A Reno on Tuesday).
Lawlar finished his rehab appearance 0-for-3, and he was charged with an error in center field in the bottom of the second inning, but his return to action – not the end result – is what mattered most on Tuesday.
“Today is a big day,” manager Torey Lovullo said prior to Tuesday’s game against the Padres. “We're going to have several guys that are going to be out on rehab assignments … I'll be able to give a more detailed response as to how they came out of it.”