Mike Hazen: Adding left-handed power bat is something Diamondbacks will explore

The Arizona Diamondbacks need more pop from the left side of the batter’s box in their lineup, an area the club will look at reinforcing with the trade deadline within a couple months.

General manager Mike Hazen told MLB Network Radio on Sunday that the batting order needs a little more power and is a bit too right-handed. Outfielders Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Jordan Lawlar are working their ways back off the injured list to provide reinforcements, but both hit right-handed.

Ryan Waldschmidt, Tommy Troy and most recently LuJames Groover have all been called up in the past month and are right-handed.

After Corbin Carroll, the only left-handed bats on the roster are Pavin Smith and Adrian Del Castillo, although the D-backs have several switch-hitters (including Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo).

Smith has been hurt for most of the season and has not provided much punch in limited at-bats when healthy (.167 AVG). Del Castillo never really got going (.189 AVG) as the primary designated hitter against righties and has reverted to a backup catcher role.

The Diamondbacks Trade Deadline Shopping List:
Left-Handed Power Bat & Bullpen Help@Dbacks | #Dbacks
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— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) June 7, 2026

As a team, the Diamondbacks are slashing .228/.300/.387 from the left side for an OPS of .687, 23rd in Major League Baseball. And that is with Carroll performing like an All-Star.

Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro and recently The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal have reported that the D-backs would look for left-handed bats, with Rosenthal providing five potential targets:

• San Francisco Giants infielder Luis Arraez
• St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar
• Detroit Tigers utility player Zach McKinstry
• Colorado Rockies first baseman TJ Rumfield
• Colorado Rockies outfielder Troy Johnston

Arraez is having a breakout defensive season at second base but has first base experience, and he is batting .324 for the disappointing Giants.

Nootbaar made his season debut on Friday after heel surgery kept him out for the first two months of the year, and he has already hit a home run and a double.

McKinstry is batting .161 this year, but he plays all over the diamond and was an All-Star and Silver Slugger award winner in 2025.

Rumfield is a 26-year-old rookie with a .777 OPS so far, while Johnston was a waiver-claim win for the Rockies who is hitting .312.

Update: The Diamondbacks agreed to terms with left-handed-hitting outfielder Max Kepler on Sunday evening. Kepler, however, is serving an 80-game suspension for a banned substance, and therefore he would be ineligible to play in the postseason.

Is pitching in the plans for the Diamondbacks?

As for what else the D-backs could need at the deadline, Hazen mentioned the bullpen due to the fact that relievers are always needed by contending teams.

After ace starter Corbin Burnes’ latest setback, Hazen expressed hope that Brandon Pfaadt could stretch back out into a rotation option if needed after getting sent down to Triple-A Reno. Burnes suffered a teres major strain during his ramp up after Tommy John surgery and said he would push to return before the end of the season. Pfaadt has operated as a reliever since early April.

“Rotation-wise with Burnes, we were expecting Burnes to be back,” Hazen said. “That plan has changed to deeper into the year. Do we need a starting pitcher at this point? I’m hoping Brandon Pfaadt gets going in Triple-A to the point where that may not be a spot where we have to expend resources and I can focus on the lineup and the bullpen.”

ESPN’s Jeff Passan wrote his early trade deadline column this week and suggested Boston Red Sox right-handed reliever Garrett Whitlock (3.20 ERA) as a possible target.

(Whitlock) can close if need be or, at the very least, help form a committee with (A.J.) Puk. If the Diamondbacks would prefer a little more left-handedness, (Aroldis) Chapman works, too.

Major League Baseball’s trade deadline is still a ways away on Aug. 3, and the Diamondbacks entered Sunday right on the outside of the playoff picture.

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