Torey Lovullo could not be less subtle in signaling for Jorge Barrosa

LOS ANGELES — Baseball is full of nonverbal communication, from the third base coach relaying signs to the nod of a pitcher when his catcher calls for a heater.

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo has had to call outfielder Jorge Barrosa into the game as an injury replacement on back-to-back days, and he has elected to do so in the least subtle way possible.

When center fielder Ryan Waldschmidt needed to come out of Friday’s game after his bunt attempt led to a thumb contusion, Lovullo motioned to the dugout by dropping his hand toward the floor, like an NBA player calling another “too short.”

On Saturday, Lovullo did it again after center fielder Tommy Troy injured his shoulder running into the wall while making a catch. He nearly dropped all the way to the ground this time.

Torey Lovullo is getting a lot of use out of his Jorge Barrosa signal.

Barrosa is 5'6".

Short kings don't deserve this.#Dbacks pic.twitter.com/Ib4sCzGjcq

— Jake García (@Jake_M_Garcia) July 12, 2026

“I think I’ve used it before for Barrosa,” Lovullo said on Friday with a smile. “So I just try to let them know as soon as possible what I’m thinking. (Bench coach Jeff Banister) is on red alert as soon as I go out there. He’s got two guys to potentially get ready. It’s either going to be (Max) Kepler or Barrosa. It just made sense to get one of the best center fielders in baseball on the field and allow him to execute. So, yeah, that’s my sign for Barrosa. Exactly.”

Barrosa is listed at 5-foot-6.

On a team with multiple outfielders under six feet tall such as Corbin Carroll and Troy, Barrosa is easily the shortest.

There are only four players in the majors listed at 5-foot-6: Barrosa, Jose Altuve (Houston Astros), Caleb Durbin (Boston Red Sox) and Rikku Nishida (Chicago White Sox), according to Stathead.

Barrosa wears No. 1, so perhaps there is an alternative way to signal him into a game from all the way in center field, but the current sign certainly leaves little doubt in who Lovullo has in mind.

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