D-backs reinstate Christian Walker, option Andrew Young to Triple-A Reno
May 29, 2021, 5:42 PM
Arizona Diamondbacks' Christian Walker connects for a two-run home run off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher German Marquez in the sixth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 6, 2021, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The Arizona Diamondbacks announced on Saturday that they have reinstated first baseman Christian Walker from the 10-day injured list.
Walker had been suffering from right oblique soreness and will start at first base and bat fifth against the St. Louis Cardinals.
“I know he had a couple of really good days in Reno and the most important thing is everything was checked off by the medical team and he’s healthy and he’s ready to go,” manager Torey Lovullo said via Zoom pregame. “So we’re really excited to get him back into the lineup.”
It was the second stint on the IL for the 30-year-old this season that has kept him out of the lineup for nearly three weeks total in 2021.
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Walker is slashing .203/.268/.313 slash line in 71 plate appearances (17 games) for the Diamondbacks this year.
“It wasn’t necessarily a re-injury, it just wasn’t quite ready. So no setbacks — it’s not like we started over or went back to square one,” he said.
“It was just more time, some more reps, some more strengthing. It felt great before in the weight room and in the batting cage. But that little extra bit of game intensity, that extra 10% or whatever shows up is really what made it kind of show up.”
In a corresponding move, the D-backs optioned infielder/outfielder Andrew Young to Triple-A Reno.
The 27-year-old Young has four homers and 9 RBI while slashing .206/.357/.588 in 26 games (42 plate appearances) for Arizona this season.
“Obviously we know what Andrew did in a couple of different situations helping us win baseball games, so those are tough send-outs,” Lovullo said. “But when we have good players returning from injuries, we have to make decisions on good players to send them down.
“In the same situation where I talked about (Daulton) Varsho and (Josh) VanMeter getting reps — I think that’s going to be very important for Andrew as well.”
The D-backs look to snap their 12-game losing streak against the Cardinals at Chase Field, with a pitching matchup of Seth Frankoff vs. Adam Wainwright.
First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. Catch all the action on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.
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