PHILADELPHIA -- D-backs manager Torey Lovullo says he is "hunting" for a day off for first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, which could come as soon as this weekend against the Nationals.
Although, as Lovullo has found out in his one-plus year on the job, it's far easier to talk about giving Goldschmidt a day off than it is to actually give him one.
"To take him out can be challenging, and anytime you take out a player of his magnitude you become very uneasy," Lovullo said.
The challenge is even greater these days with a pair of offensive weapons -- outfielder Steven Souza Jr. and third baseman Jake Lamb -- out of the lineup due to injury.
Goldschmidt started 152 games last year, and the total likely would have been higher had he not missed five games in September with an elbow issue.
In 2016 he played in 158 games and he logged 159 games in 2014. A fractured left hand limited him to 109 games in 2014 after played 160 games in 2013.
"It's something I'm thinking about right now," Lovullo said of picking a spot for Goldschmidt to get a day off. "You can always fall back on the idea that there's a scheduled [team] day off, which, they're nice, but it's not necessarily the same as watching the game and relaxing and knowing you're not going to play. It recharges your batteries. The thing I do with Paul and certain other guys is, I tie in a conversation and just get some feelings from them and see what they're thinking about."