3 Diamondbacks Prospects Who Should Debut Some Time This Season

Spring Training is a time for evaluating prospects, perhaps even more importantly than evaluting major league talent, depending on a team's depth. The Arizona Diamondbacks are no exception.

Arizona has its entire starting infield and one starting outfielder (Alek Thomas) absent from spring training at the moment as a result of the World Baseball Classic.

That reality has provided quite the opportunity for some of Arizona's rising prospects. Some have raised their stock to the point where it feels inevitable to see them in the majors in the coming season.

Here are three Diamondbacks prospects who should find themselves on the MLB roster at some point in 2026:

Diamondbacks OF Ryan Waldschmidt (No. 1)

Arizona Diamondbacks left fielder Ryan Waldschmidt (86) warms up to play the Colorado Rockies during a spring training game at Salt River Fields on Feb. 20, 2026, in Scottsdale. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Waldschmidt's hopes of cracking the opening day roster may have been squashed by his reassignment to minor league camp, but there's no realistic way Arizona can keep him in the minors for the duration of 2026, barring an injury or significant struggles.

Waldschmidt hit .309/.423/.498 at the Double-A level in 2025, and should begin the year in the extremely hitter-friendly Triple-A Reno. He's hit well in spring training, with a .321/.367/.536 Cactus League slash, and is playing solid outfield defense.

Waldschmidt is Arizona's No. 1 prospect for a reason, and the D-backs know he's knocking (or pounding) on the door. He may be a late-year call-up for service time purposes.

Diamondbacks INF/OF Tommy Troy (No. 4)

Second baseman, Tommy Troy takes the field during batting practice at Arizona Fall League media day at Scottsdale Stadium on Oct. 4, 2024, in Scottsdale, Arizona. | Megan Mendoza/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tommy Troy may quietly be on a faster track to the majors than Waldschmidt. The 24-year-old infielder has mostly spent time at second base in spring training, but he's also gotten some outfield reps.

Troy has plenty of speed and contact ability, with a .295/.381/.429 slash in Reno over 38 games following his promotion from Double-A last season. He has some defensive versatility, and is developing more of a power stroke.

He's hit .429/.429/.571 in the Cactus League with a high 32.1% strikeout rate thus far, which suggests a bit of development is still necessary. With that said, Troy is likely at the front of the line to serve as an injury reserve or depth call-up in 2026. He may very well be the first prospect to get the call this season.

Diamondbacks INF Jose Fernandez (No. 27)

Feb 18, 2026; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Jose Fernandez (79) poses for a photo for MLB media day at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images | Allan Henry-Imagn Images

Fernandez is still quite raw, but that raw ability has been very impressive thus far in spring training. The 22-year-old has been up the ranks of the minor leagues, hitting .272/.321/.454 at the Double-A level in 2025.

Most impressively, he crushed 17 homers. The 6-foot-3 natural shortstop added 20 pounds this offseason. "He's 22, and it just took a little while to figure out his body and grow into it," manager Torey Lovullo said of Fernandez.

He's hitting .280 over 10 Cactus League games, but his three doubles, three homers and a triple have his slugging percentage at an eye-popping .840.

Fernandez was recently optioned to Triple-A Reno, which serves a promotion. He may need some time to develop defensively, but he could force Arizona's hand in the latter end of 2026 if he continues to perform.