PHOENIX -- D-backs manager Chip Hale mentioned -- for the first time -- the possibility of All-Star center fielder A.J. Pollock starting the season on the disabled list.
Soreness in Pollock's right elbow has kept him out since March 8, and he has just eight official at-bats this spring.
"There's always fear, yeah," Hale said on Saturday. "He has to get enough at-bats to feel ready. We're getting to that point where we want him to play pretty much every day and get at-bats. So if that's not possible, then maybe the DL is the option."
Pollock played in Minor League games on Thursday and Saturday and will do so again Sunday before he is re-evaluated.
"Right now it looks like we can still get him enough at-bats," Hale said.
But those may come exclusively in Minor League games on the back fields. If Pollock appears in a Cactus League game this final week, it hampers the D-backs' ability to backdate a DL stint should he start the regular season there.
Should Pollock start the season on the DL, it likely would create a ripple effect on the D-backs' Opening Day roster. Socrates Brito would presumably start in center field, meaning someone else who could play center likely would need to be kept. Non-roster invitees Jason Bourgeois and Evan Marzilli are still in camp.
It also could affect the lineup. Hale said he would like to bat Jean Segura and Pollock at the top of the lineup, ahead of Paul Goldschmidt.
"We'll see how this last week goes," Hale said.