Lineup change: Diamondbacks DH Pavin Smith returns after Opening Day scratch

LOS ANGELES — The Arizona Diamondbacks made a late lineup change for the second straight day on Friday, reinserting Pavin Smith into the batting order against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The D-backs scratched Smith from the starting lineup on Opening Day Thursday shortly before he was set to start at designated hitter due to left elbow soreness.

After the game, Smith said he went through treatment, could not swing a bat and would probably get an MRI the next morning.

Smith took batting practice on Friday, and the club shortly thereafter put him back in the lineup as the designated hitter, batting fifth against Dodgers right-hander Emmet Sheehan.

Tim Tawa went to the bench.

“I’m going to remain as optimistic as possible,” manager Torey Lovullo said pregame Friday. “If he comes in off the BP and says that he can’t go, we have to make a very fast decision on in-or-out of the lineup and on-or-off the (injured list). We’ll figure that out.” 

Smith was pulled from a Cactus League lineup on March 13 with left elbow tightness, and he did not play a game until March 19. He played five games at the end of camp and said he felt fine, but the elbow started to bother him again on Wednesday.

“Standing here, I don’t feel it. But if I were to take a bat in my hand and do a swing, I wouldn’t be able to,” Smith said after Thursday’s game. 

The 30-year-old played in 87 games last year and hit for a batting line of .258/.362/.434 with 92 strikeouts. He missed time in the second half with oblique and quad strains.

The Diamondbacks don’t have much depth when it comes to left-handed hitters to fill in as a DH against righties. Adrian Del Castillo is on the 10-day injured list with a calf strain that forced him to miss all of Cactus League.

“He’s going to start playing as soon as possible,” Lovullo said of Del Castillo, noting there remain some restrictions on his running.

First pitch on Friday is at 7:1- p.m. MST with Ryne Nelson pitching for Arizona. Catch the game on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app. 

Updated Diamondbacks lineup

2B Ketel Marte
RF Corbin Carroll
SS Geraldo Perdomo
C Gabriel Moreno
DH Pavin Smith
3B Nolan Arenado
1B Carlos Santana
CF Alek Thomas
LF Jordan Lawlar

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