Diamondbacks' WBC Players Return to Lineup vs Cubs

The Arizona Diamondbacks' roster is officially on its way back to full strength. After Eduardo Rodriguez led Team Venezuela to a historic victory in Tuesday night's final, the World Baseball Classic has concluded.

And so, the D-backs' stars begin to litter their starting lineup once again.

Geraldo Perdomo, Nolan Arenado and Carlos Santana will all play in Wednesday's Cactus League matchup with the Chicago Cubs at Salt River Fields, with a 1:10 p.m. first pitch intact despite the incoming expected record-breaking heat wave.

Below is the D-backs' full lineup for Wednesday's game:

Arizona Diamondbacks Stars Return from WBC

Mar 3, 2026; Lee County, FL, USA; Puerto Rico third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) drives in a run in the first inning with a base hit against the Boston Red Sox. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

1 - DH Corbin Carroll

2 - CF Alek Thomas

3 - SS Geraldo Perdomo

4 - 3B Nolan Arenado

5 - 1B Carlos Santana

6 - LF Jordan Lawlar

7 - 2B Ildemaro Vargas

8 - C Aramis Garcia

9 - RF Jorge Barrosa

In addition to the returns of Perdomo, Santana and Arenado, star outfielder Corbin Carroll will also get into the lineup — once again as the DH. He is expected to get back into outfield duties in a backfield game this week.

Jordan Lawlar, who has played the entirety of his reps in center field of late, is playing left field. Lawlar has been hitting well and playing generally solid defense since making the transition from the infield to the outfield.

Ketel Marte is not in the lineup, yet. He will most likely get into a game later in the week.

Arizona Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly Makes Second Start

On the mound will be right-hander Merrill Kelly, making his second Cactus League appearance since coming back from intercostal nerve irritation that caused mid-back tightness.

Kelly was forced off his schedule and had to vacate the opening day starter role. Now, the question is whether or not he'll begin the season on a short IL stint before making his first regular-season turn in the rotation. It seems likely that will be the route the Diamondbacks take, but that has not been set in stone.

In Kelly's first outing, he had an excellent first inning, before falling victim to a bout of hard contact. He gave up two runs on six hits over just 1.2 innings, but felt good physically and was not worried as much with the results of a spring training game.

How many innings and pitches Kelly will get in Wednesday's game could tell quite a bit about his availability going forward.