Geraldo Perdomo to be Activated, Pavin Smith Appears Headed to Reno

The Arizona Diamondbacks will reportedly activate 2023 All Star Shortstop Geraldo Perdomo from the injured list prior to Tuesday night's game against the Los Angeles Angels. This according to Arizona Sports John Gambadoro on X.

Geraldo Perdomo will be back with the Diamondbacks tomorrow for the start of the Angels series. A roster move will have to be made. It will NOT be Eugenio Suarez.
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) June 10, 2024

The corresponding move appears to be optioning Pavin Smith back to Triple-A Reno. This is currently showing on the Diamondbacks official site's transaction log for June 10th, however it's important to note this is not yet official as the team has not sent a formal release. There may be other moves to be announced at the same time, or this could still change.

Perdomo injured his right knee in a game against the Yankees on April 3rd. He was placed on the 10-day injured list on April 7th, and had surgery to repair a torn meniscus on April 8th. The two month process to get him back included three rehab games in the ACL and seven more with Reno. In all, he had 38 at bats and got in 36 innings in the field at shortstop.

Perdomo hit .246/.353/.359 last year with six homers and 47 RBI. Often a catalyst at both the bottom and top of the order, he walked 64 times and led the league with 14 sacrifice hits. He also stole 16 bases while getting caught just four times. He's rated as roughly a league average defender at shortstop but Torey Lovullo has often praised his take charge ability as the captain of the defense.

Smith has been enjoying a good season in a part time role off the bench. In 27 games, 61 Plate Appearances he's hitting .268/.311/.518 including five doubles and three homers. He's driven in 14 runs, none bigger than his first ever walk off homer on June 3rd against the Giants.

Smith has a career .241/.319/.387 batting line, with a .705 OPS or 94 OPS+. A first round, seventh pick overall in the 2017 draft, Smith seemed to finally find his niche as a left-handed pinch hitter off the bench and occasional spot starter at first base and right field. The Diamondbacks are in a roster crunch however.

Blaze Alexander and Kevin Newman have both played well and provide more defensive flexibility than Smith. In the meantime, centerfielder Alek Thomas is about a week away from returning, perhaps less, and there will be yet one more tough roster choice for the Diamondbacks to make at that time.

The current outfield consists of Lourdes Gurriel Jr, Corbin Carroll, Jake McCarthy, and Randal Grichuk. The team will need to decide between carrying a 5th outfielder or a 6th infielder.

Notably, third baseman Eugenio Suarez has slumped all season, and the team may be nearing a tipping point with regards to his status as well. Suarez is batting .200/.265/.317, .582 OPS with five homers and 30 RBI. He is earning $11.3 million this year with a team option of $15 million next year or a $2 million buyout. If he does not hit better almost immediately, he may be DFA'd in the coming weeks.