When the Arizona Diamondbacks called up top prospect Jordan Lawlar on May 12, there was a sense of cautious optimism — a belief that the organization had a plan. Manager Torey Lovullo even laid out what sounded like a reasonable roadmap for the young infielder. He suggested that Lawlar could appear in four games a week, even in a hybrid role, and that would be enough to keep his bat sharp and his development on track.
Fast forward to now, and it’s hard to reconcile that vision with reality. In Lawlar’s first full week on the active roster, he logged only nine plate appearances — and in that small sample, struck out five times. He’s only appeared in three games, starting two of them, and hasn’t been in the lineup at all since May 17. Whether you chalk it up to matchup preferences or managerial hesitation, the outcome is the same. One of the franchise’s most prized prospects is already gathering dust on the bench.
Jordan Lawlar’s MLB arrival feels more like a timeout
This isn’t about the results in those nine trips to the plate. Lawlar could’ve gone 0-for-9 or 9-for-9, and the question would still remain. What would be the point of calling him up if you’re not going to let him play?
Player development isn’t just about instruction and mentorship at the big-league level. It’s about reps. It’s about learning from failure, adjusting on the fly, and facing top-tier pitching consistently enough to adapt. Lawlar simply isn’t getting that. Instead, he’s caught in a limbo that’s far more damaging than a demotion — it stalls momentum, both mentally and mechanically.
This kind of handling raises serious concerns. If the Diamondbacks didn’t have the bandwidth to give Lawlar consistent opportunities — or if they were wary of how he might perform out of the gate — then why bring him up at all? He was thriving in Triple-A Reno and playing every day.
After his first week in the majors this season it already looked like he’s being treated like a luxury bench piece instead of a future cornerstone. It’s a bad message to send — to the player, to the clubhouse, and to the fanbase. You can’t tout a top prospect’s arrival and then sideline him when the games start to count. If anything, Lawlar’s struggles in limited action only underscore the need for more at-bats, not fewer. If this is how Arizona plans to “develop” its young core, then the real concern isn’t whether Lawlar’s ready — it’s whether the organization is.