Diamondbacks notebook: Why was Jose Fernandez sent back to the minors?

PHOENIX — Jose Fernandez was one of the most productive players in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ lineup and hottest-hitting rookies in Major League Baseball through the end of April.

So why did the club send him down to Triple-A Reno five weeks later?

On Friday, the Diamondbacks opted to swap out one of their talented prospects for another, optioning Fernandez and selecting the contract of fellow infielder LuJames Groover from Reno.

Fernandez did not maintain the level he performed at in April into May.

The league made its adjustments, he started to lose playing time and the club came to the decision to give the 22-year-old some more seasoning. He came up with one game of Triple-A experience, basically straight from Double-A.

“There’s still some learning that needs to take place with Jose,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “We wanted to get this foundation of at-bats in Triple-A to where he understands the swing mechanics and what’s happening around him to see the baseball and impact the baseball. He’s going to play at the big league level for a long time.

“I want him to learn how to excel and be great, and I think this is the best opportunity for him to go down and learn a little bit more about himself, get those meaningful at-bats, stand on that foundation and come back here and really be a top-end type of a baseball player that we feel he’s capable of being.”

Fernandez hit two home runs in his MLB debut against the Detroit Tigers, a key home run during the Mexico City Series against the San Diego Padres and seemed to impact most of the games he played in for a month.

He can crush the ball when he gets ahold of it, and his speed rivals the best runners in the game, including Corbin Carroll. His ability to play multiple infield spots including shortstop, first base and third base has been helpful.

Fernandez had a couple hard-hit balls on Thursday, but overall, he has hit .203 over his last 25 games.

The rookie started to chase more as pitchers found holes. His 37% chase rate is among the 30 highest in MLB, minimum 150 plate appearances.

Swinging at the right pitches and being able to adjust during at-bats will be keys to his return.

“He’s very capable of doing special things, but we just want it to be a little bit more consistent,” Lovullo said. “There’s a book out on every hitter, and you need to be able to step back and understand these are their targets. How am I going to counterpunch? I think the counterpunching was limited in certain ways at certain times.”

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to begin rehab assignment

Lovullo provided several health updates on Friday:

• Left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League on Monday.
• First baseman Carlos Santana (adductor) started a rehab assignment in the ACL on Friday. He took batting practice at Chase Field before the game.
• Outfielder Jordan Lawlar and relief pitcher A.J. Puk continued their rehab assignments in Triple-A Reno on Friday, with Puk taking the mound. Friday was Puk’s fifth rehab appearance, and the club wants to get him seven or eight. Lawlar has played both center field and left field on his rehab assignment, so far, and he made a diving catch on Friday. Lovullo said their returns would be timed closely together.

JORDAN LAWLAR GOES AIRBORNE TO MAKE THE DIVING PLAY 🛫@MiLB | #Aceball pic.twitter.com/1nDfH23Ysw

— Reno Aces (@Aces) June 6, 2026

What will LuJames Groover’s role be for the Diamondbacks?

Groover started at first base, batting fifth on Friday against the Washington Nationals for his MLB debut. The 24-year-old has split reps between third base and first base this season, and Lovullo said he will receive playing time at first base and designated hitter.

“He’s not here to sit on the bench. If that was the case, we’d still develop him in Triple-A,” Lovullo said. “How it shakes down, I’m not exactly sure. I’m going to do some lineups over the next couple of days and just play around with it.”

Groover said he’s felt very comfortable at first base, noting his third base experience has helped him. He moved across the diamond to the hot corner during his MLB debut.

“I’ve always been a pretty good hitter, so I was kind of focusing a lot on defense and just trying to control both sides of the diamond on the corners,” Groover said pregame on Friday. “Obviously, the goal is to help the big league team win, whatever that may be. … I’m prepared for it.”

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