Top D-backs Prospect Has Chance to Make Opening Day Roster

The Diamondbacks will open the 2026 season without their starting left fielder, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who is recovering from surgery to repair a torn ACL. He is expected to return sometime midseason but is still likely to miss at least the first two months of the 2026 season.

At the same time, the D-backs just traded one of their left-handed outfield options, Jake McCarthy, to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for pitching prospect Josh Grosz.

That move loosens a log jam of 40-man roster options to fill the spot that include Blaze Alexander, Tim Tawa, Jorge Barrosa, and perhaps Jordan Lawlar. It should also be noted with the trade for Nolan Arenado, infield playing time opportunity for Alexander and Lawlar are decreased. One or both may see more time in the outfield as a result.

But during a press conference to announce the McCarthy trade, general manager Mike Hazen teased another intriguing possibility.

Ryan Waldschmidt Will Have a Chance to Make Opening Day Roster

Hazen was asked if he could see a scenario where someone who hasn't made their major league debut yet would compete for a starting role in Spring Training.

Hazen's response: "Yes!"

Asked if he could elaborate further, the GM declined to name names, but it was clear who he was being asked about to all on the call — No. 1 prospect Ryan Waldschmidt.

"I think you know who you're asking about and I'm not going to elaborate on it. Yes, there's some guys in our system that could come in and challenge for spots on the major league team."

It was a good-natured exchange, with even some laughter to punctuate the response, leaving little doubt who was being discussed.

Waldschmidt is coming off an excellent season in which he established himself as the top prospect in the organization. Drafted out of the University of Kentucky in 2024, the outfielder has moved quickly through the system.

In just his second professional season he split 600 plate appearances evenly between High-A and Double-A, batting .289/.419/.473, .892 OPS.

That slash line included his trademark plate discipline, as he walked 96 times while striking out 106. The right-handed hitting Waldschmidt knocked 18 homers among his 49 extra base hits. It all added up to a 142 wRC+, which is roughly 40% better than the league averages.

The other impressive aspect of Waldschmidt's campaign was the time logged in center field once he got to Double-A. While he played some center in college, the D-backs had used him exclusively on the corners in 2024 and the first half of 2025.

But once he was promoted to Amarillo, Waldschmidt logged 38 games, 334 innings in center, showing off his versatility and ability to handle the more demanding defensive position.

While it would be unusual for the Diamondbacks to promote a position player directly from Double-A to MLB, if Waldschmidt lights up spring training, he will have a chance to do just that.

Waldschmidt is not the only outfielder that hasn't played in MLB yet that will have a chance to crack the roster. The Non-Roster invitee list is once again expected to include A.J. Vukovich and Kristian Robinson.

The 23-year-old Vukovich hit .284 with an .853 OPS, good for a league average 100 wRC+ in the high-octane environment of Reno in the PCL. He mashed 22 homers and drove in 79 runs.

Robinson split time between Double-A and Triple-A in 2025, and more than held his own once he reached the higher level, batting .262 with a .862 OPS. He put up an impressive 17.2% walk rate and reduced his strikeout rate to 24%.

The Diamondbacks have always preferred to have at least one or two spots open for spring competition, and clearly they'll have plenty of options and performances to sort through before deciding who will get the bulk of the playing time prior to Gurriel's return.

Ryan Waldschmidt Will Have a Chance to Make Opening Day Roster

Arizona Diamondbacks Latest News