The Arizona Diamondbacks' Spring Breakout rosters were released Thursday morning. While there are plenty of prospects to get excited over, there were also some big names that weren't on the roster. Four of their Top 11 prospects won't be participating in the event.
For Jordan Lawlar, Yilber Diaz, and Adrian Del Castillo, the reason is very simple. All three prospects are currently on the Diamondbacks' 40-man roster and have already debuted at the major league level. All three players have a nonzero chance of making the Opening Day roster, requiring only specific circumstances to be called upon in some role.
Lawlar (No. 1) is only one injury to Geraldo Perdomo from being the everyday shortstop. The Diamondbacks will have to figure out what position he'll play, but that's a question that can be addressed the next offseason. He's had a good showing this Spring, both on offense and defense, so it's only a matter of time before he forces the team to make room for him.
Yilber Diaz (No. 4) faces the longest odds to make the Opening Day roster but is a high octane electric arm that still has a good chance of remaining a starter. He's been working on adding a changeup to a fastball, knuckle curve, and slider mix that would perfectly complete his arsenal. While he is talented enough to pitch at the major league level, the path to consistent reps will be at Triple-A Reno. However, it's still possible he's eighth on the starting pitcher depth chart and is only a few injuries away from being called up like last season.
Adrian Del Castillo (No. 5) faces the best odds of the three when it comes to making the club when breaking camp, as he's competing with Jose Herrera and Rene Pinto for the backup catcher job. As a left-handed bat with good pop, he's an ideal offensive complement to starting catcher Gabriel Moreno. The Diamondbacks have preferred a defense-first catcher as the backup, but Del Castillo's bat is talented enough to force a tough decision.
Yu-Min Lin (No. 11) is off the roster for different reasons. He spent the offseason fulfilling his military service for his home country of Taiwan and is behind everyone else. As such he's not ready to pitch in any capacity, even in an exhibition game. He's likely to begin the season pitching at Triple-A and is a call-up candidate in the second half of the reason if a spot opens up.
While some of the Diamondbacks' top prospects won't be participating in the event, there's still plenty of prospects to get excited over. The Diamondbacks' prospects will take on the Kansas City Royals' prospects at Salt River Fields on March 14 at 5:10 P.M. MST.