How can the Diamondbacks keep Jordan Lawlar sharp without everyday playing time?

LOS ANGELES — Arizona Diamondbacks top prospect Jordan Lawlar is practicing patience with irregular playing time since his call-up, as he and the team have put a lot of effort in his pregame routine to stay sharp.

No, nothing replaces major league reps, not in the minors or in the cages. But he has bought into readying himself as much as possible behind the scenes, making sure he gets work in before many of the veterans hit the field.

Manager Torey Lovullo told him that when he is not in the 6:40 p.m. lineup, his game takes place from 3-6:30 p.m.

“I will swing more on the days I’m not starting just to supplement that, and then days I’m playing, it kind of matches up to the same routine that I had in Triple-A,” Lawlar told Arizona Sports on Wednesday.

“He works around the infield every day, second, third, short, if he’s not playing,” third base/infielders coach Shaun Larkin told Arizona Sports. “On the nights he is playing, he goes to the position he’s at. But he has a great routine. He established it in the minor leagues.”

Lovullo said Lawlar goes through high-intensity drills pregame. The infielder has the luxury of hitting off the Trajeckt machine at home, which mimics major leaguers. Arizona’s starters use it to prepare for the opposing pitcher.

Lawlar has started three of nine possible games so far, receiving only 11 plate appearances. Eugenio Suarez, Geraldo Perdomo and Ketel Marte are everyday players, so it’s not simple to play Lawlar consistently at this point. Suarez and Perdomo have each started 48 of 50 games, while Marte has needed a few more days off his feet for injury management.

That can be a challenge for a young player, and Lawlar has not found a rhythm at the plate so far in a tiny sample size. He is 0-for-10 with seven strikeouts. Major league pitchers have thrown him twice as many breaking balls as fastballs (28-14), spins you don’t see anywhere else but the big leagues.

The 22-year-old proved what he needed to prove with a dominant start in Triple-A Reno this season, and the club believes that he with the help of major league coaching, teammates and reps will continue to develop even without the playing time he saw in the minors.

“There’s no other environment to perfectly create those reps for you, you gotta get them up here,” assistant general manager Mike Fitzgerald told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Wednesday.

“We believe in the talent here. I think his superpower is how he processes the game and how he works from the neck up. We believe in those two things. Now let’s make sure we give him a valid opportunity to go out and learn from night to night and pick up little things that are really hard to pick up without getting major league reps.”

The Diamondbacks have said he will play 3-4 games per week for the time being. He was not called up to fill a Garrett Hampson role and receive two at-bats per week.

The D-backs are only 50 games into a long season. The club is going to need Lawlar to fill gaps and continue improving as a potential building block beyond this season.

“It’s all about patience, just doing your job when your name is called and being as prepared as you can be,” Lawlar said.

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