How Diamondbacks' Blaze Alexander Earned his Major Opportunity

The Arizona Diamondbacks' young infielder is making the most out of the chance he has in front of him.

Jul 22, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Blaze Alexander against the Houston Astros at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

All the way back in 2025 Spring Training, Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Blaze Alexander didn't know if he'd ever be the same player again.

He'd suffered an oblique strain — one that would squash his hopes of cracking the Opening Day roster.

But as Alexander crushed an opposite-field homer on Friday, punctuating a four-RBI night in a 6-1 win over the Colorado Rockies, he could finally be certain that his work had paid off.

His teammates then playfully gave him the cold shoulder for his first Chase Field homer of the year.

"Those guys give me a hard time," Alexander said. "They think I'm crazy."

"Probably," he said with a laugh, when asked if it was true. "I'm out there."

So just how did he get to this point?

"[The injury] was a little dark time," Alexander said. "You're like, 'Am I going to come back the same? Am I going to get an opportunity?'"

Alexander said his parents helped him get through that dark time.

"I talk to them. I'm still staying with them. I was with them every day through it," he said.

But after a somewhat lengthy rehab, Alexander was sent back to Triple-A. The first day he set foot back on the field as a Reno Ace facing Salt Lake City, those doubts began to melt away.

"I was just like, 'I'm a baseball player. It's what I do. I might not be in the big leagues the next day, but, I keep working hard, and it's coming,'" he said.

Eventually, his efforts would pay off with a June 25 call-up.

And on July 30, everyday third baseman Eugenio Suárez was traded to the Seattle Mariners.

Alexander's opportunity immediately arose at third base, but it wouldn't have been his if he didn't earn it.

Related Content: Blaze Alexander Ready to Contribute to Diamondbacks

Diamondbacks' Blaze Alexander Taking Advantage of Opportunity

"You never want to see a guy like Geno go, but it opened up playing time for me, and I'm happy, my family's happy, and I'm just taking advantage of the opportunity," Alexander said.

The concerns around Alexander's game were still there. His major league hitting results were mixed. And while he is undeniably a good instinctual defender, his hands were less than steady.

He's shown flashes of good offense, but his defense has been the biggest work in progress. Alexander said it was a process to get back to full defensive speed after his rehab, turning to his former Double-A manager, Shawn Roof, to get back on track.

"It wasn't easy. I didn't do too much ground ball stuff in my rehab process at Salt River. There's a little growing period down there, early, just coming back from that oblique injury," he said.

"I'm real comfortable with [Roof]. He's the infield guy. He kind of just let me know, 'Yeah, I got you.' Like, 'You're good. Don't press.'

"I had some errors. Had some errors early. Bad errors. Like, real routine plays. And, again, it was, 'Hey, work hard every day. Your opportunity is going to come.'"

Alexander said third base is a very reaction-focused position. It's certainly not the position he's most familiar with, as a natural shortstop.

"I feel like, shortstop, second base, you're more ranging to your left. It feels like a bigger field [at shortstop]. At third base, I wouldn't say, like, in a box over there, but it's drop step or going in and getting the ball."

Alexander said he's been working closely with D-backs' third base and infield coach Shaun Larkin.

"He's about 10, 15 yards away from me, hitting bullets, just reacting, reacting. It slows the game down. I like working with Larkin. He's got a lot of belief in me, and I just really appreciate that," Alexander said.

Manager Torey Lovullo, who values sure-handed defense perhaps above all else, was extremely complimentary of Alexander's recent progress.

Diamondbacks' Torey Lovullo On Alexander's Improvement

"Since he's returned to us, he's done a really good job of becoming a more consistent version of himself, and the type of player that we're always looking for," Lovullo said.

"You can tell he's got a ton of tools and a ton of athleticism that's going to play out. But if you don't put that into the bag and mix it up and pull it out piece by piece, you're going to make a lot of mistakes.

"He's limiting the mistakes, slowing the game down, and everything's in the right place at the right time right now," Lovullo said.

Alexander is hitting .320/.433/.640 with two homers and two doubles this month. But Lovullo, unsurprisingly, zeroed in on the stability of his defense at the hot corner.

"His posture is great. His hands are out front, making really good hands plays."

It hasn't always been the prettiest. And it may not be pretty every day. But Alexander has certainly shown he's capable of taking his instruction in stride and using it to create his own opportunity.

"He had some fundamental hiccups early in the year in Triple-A," Lovullo said. "He had some emotional hiccups in Triple-A.

"By the time he got here, he was cruising, and you can see it's really played out. ... I think he's taking it on, and he welcomes it."

"I think he innately is a very comfortable, confident guy, and he probably wants it," Lovullo said. "He's like, 'Give me more. I can handle whatever you guys are ready to throw at me.'"