Can Ryan Waldschmidt’s 2nd chance give the Diamondbacks a boost?

LOS ANGELES — Arizona Diamondbacks center fielder and top prospect Ryan Waldschmidt did not experience the same nerves or fanfare when he got called up for the second time in his young career on Friday, although he did answer questions from a line of reporters wondering how he will approach Take 2.

Waldschmidt was hot out of the gate when he first made the jump to MLB, but pitchers made adjustments, and he struggled to punch back.

The D-backs optioned him to Triple-A Reno on June 15 after pitchers forced whiff after whiff on breaking balls. Entering the “second half,” the club could use another spark from its top-ranked prospect to help lengthen the lineup.

“I think it was mostly getting back to being myself and just being able to do that continuously,” Waldschmidt told Arizona Sports. “Just getting that feel back of getting back to being who I am and what got me to this level in the first place.”

“We’re excited because he went down and developed, took care of a couple of the needs that we talked about and impacting the baseball and not coming off his approach,” manager Torey Lovullo said.

Waldschmidt’s return to the lineup on Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers was painful. He struck out twice and was hit on the right thumb by a 99.6 mph sinker when he attempted to bunt for a hit.

He missed one game, but the D-backs felt they dodged a bullet with Waldschmidt only suffering a contusion. The rookie was back in the lineup on Sunday, when he struck out in his first at-bat but later contributed a sacrifice fly and a walk with a stolen base.

What did Ryan Waldschmidt work on in Triple-A?

Waldschmidt hit .354 over his first 16 games in the major leagues. That success led to the rookie swinging to stay hot, which was exactly where pitchers wanted him. Over his next 17 games, Waldschmidt hit .180 with 24 strikeouts.

Waldschmidt said being more selective, working counts and making sure he’s swinging at pitches he can handle have been his focuses, which are parts of his game that he hung his hat on as a rising prospect in the system.

That experience gives him confidence in being able to make the necessary adjustment.

“I think I was expanding my zone a little bit, I was swinging at some pitches I normally would take, and when that happens, it’s just a domino effect,” Waldschmidt said.

“I think confidence-wise, I’m in a good spot. I think knowing that a lot of the struggle and the negatives that I had were just personal … I think that’s something I can fix when I know it’s just about me and not necessarily worrying about being overmatched because I have full confidence that I’m able to hit the stuff that they’ve got. It’s just about making sure it’s good pitches to swing at.”

The Diamondbacks have ached for power and dynamism from the bottom half of the order for most of this season, outside of hot streaks from rookies and Jordan Lawlar’s spells between injuries.

The bottom half of the order was as impactful as it has been all year against the Dodgers, but it remains a question how reliable the group is after one great series. First base, designated hitter and center field remain spots where the D-backs are looking for stability.

Entering the All-Star break, Arizona’s center fielders accounted for an OPS of .579 this season, which landed 29th in the league, and had four home runs. From Alek Thomas getting designated for assignment, Waldschmidt cooling off and fellow rookie Tommy Troy going through his own ups and downs, the position has not bore the needed production to help a top-heavy lineup.

Troy suffered a shoulder injury on Saturday and will get an MRI, adding further uncertainty to the depth of center field.

Lovullo called Waldschmidt someone with the potential to be a really impactful player for this team, obviously in the future but now, as well.

“He played really well the first time and then had to go down and reset a little bit,” general manager Mike Hazen told Arizona Sports. “We called him back up because he did what we asked him to do. He’s a really good player, so hopefully he shows us that he should stay this time for the remainder of the year.”

The opportunity for him to earn regular playing time again is present, as the D-backs hope to see internal candidates secure positions before the trade deadline. His adjustments will be put to the test when the Diamondbacks start the second half on Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals.

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