Diamondbacks’ Alek Thomas heads back to injured list with oblique issue

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Alek Thomas suffered an oblique strain, a club official told Arizona Sports, and he landed on the minor-league seven-day injured list on Tuesday.

Thomas was optioned to Triple-A Reno last week and is expected to miss approximately a month. He last played on Sunday for the Aces as the designated hitter.

SI’s Jack Sommers first reported the injury.

Thomas missed much of the first half of this season with hamstring issues.

He first landed on the IL with a left hamstring strain on April 1, suffered a setback during a rehab assignment a month later and did not return to the lineup until July 2.

Thomas did not find his offensive rhythm despite a handful of clutch moments, specifically a grand slam at the San Diego Padres.

The 24-year-old slashed .188/.253/.338 after the injuries. Arizona needed infield depth with Ketel Marte suffering an ankle injury and used the opportunity to get Thomas everyday at-bats in Triple-A. Jake McCarthy had outplayed Thomas to earn the bulk of playing time.

“We love Alek. He’s part of this team. He’s a huge part of why we got to the World Series last year and he’s going to continue to impact this team this year, hopefully,” manager Torey Lovullo told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo after the decision to option Thomas last week.

“Some of the at-bats have been inconsistent, and Jake needs to be in the lineup every day. That’s a tough one, because I think you don’t just want Alek to sit on the bench and and not play.”

Four weeks would knock Thomas out until the middle of September. The Diamondbacks are already without Marte, Christian Walker and Gabriel Moreno on the injured list. That’s four of their starting nine players from Opening Day on the IL.

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