Arizona Diamondbacks reassign Kristian Robinson, 6 other to minors

The Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday reassigned seven players to minor league camp for the rest of spring, including former top prospect Kristian Robinson.

The roster is down to 53 players.

In addition to Robinson, Arizona reassigned: infielder Tristin English; left-handed pitcher Brandon Hughes; and right-handed pitchers Luke Albright, Dakota Chalmers, Francisco Morales and Chris Rodriguez.

Robinson, 23, has appeared in nine spring games, going 2-for-10 with a home run and three RBIs. He posted four strikeouts and two walks.

Last season after returning to the organization, Robinson moved through the farm system quickly, starting in Rookie League ball to Single-A and eventually five games with Double-A Amarillo.

He was arrested in April 2020 for allegedly punching an Arizona Department of Public Safety officer after he was approached for walking in traffic lanes of Interstate 10 in Phoenix. He was considered a top prospect around the time of his arrest.

The D-backs supported Robinson despite the outfielder not being cleared for a work visa until last season after he served community service following a misdemeanor charge.

“It’s an incredible story, it’s a challenging story,” D-backs general manager Mike Hazen said of Robinson when he joined Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta on Feb. 29. “I mean obviously there’s got to be repercussions sometimes for behaviors.

“Yet at the same time, when you’re dealing with some things off the field, you also have to have the empathy around (the fact that) these are young kids and things happen and you have to be there to help them. And not knowing that you’re ever going to see the light of day on the other side from a professional standpoint. … But you feel so good to see him come back from where he has and where he’s standing right now.”

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