Diamondbacks Make Notable Geraldo Perdomo Lineup Change vs Dodgers

The Arizona Diamondbacks have made a bit of a tweak to their ordinary lineup ahead of their game three matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field on Wednesday night.

Notably, shortstop Geraldo Perdomo, who was initially given the day off on Tuesday night, will be moved up to the leadoff spot in the batting order. Ketel Marte is getting the night off, so this may or may not be a permanent move for the D-backs shortstop.

How we're lining up. pic.twitter.com/S1AlfKWQFs
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) June 3, 2026

Perdomo entered as a pinch-hitter late in Tuesday night's game, picking up a base hit in his first at-bat. He later opted to put down a controversial bunt attempt in the ninth inning, which resulted in a sacrifice, but not a base hit.

But Perdomo, who has been hitting in the three-hole for the near-entirety of the 2026 season, will now get a different look. It may very well be a change that helps him get back on track. That's certainly the hope in making a tweak of this kind.

Geraldo Perdomo moved in Diamondbacks' batting order

Arizona Diamondbacks Geraldo Perdomo (2) hits a single during their Opening Day game against the Chicago Cubs at Chase Field in Phoenix on March 27, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This is a change manager Torey Lovullo had previously hinted at — quite strongly, in fact. It's been under consideration for some time.

Perdomo had his most success batting leadoff in 2025. In 49 games, 226 PA he hit .323/.428/.522, .949 OPS at the top of the order. But in nine games batting leadoff in 2026 he's not been able to replicate that success, batting just .129/.308/.258 over 39 PA.

The initial goal of placing Perdomo in the three-hole so often was to free up Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll atop the leadoff and two-hole slots, allowing them to swing early in counts.

With Perdomo hitting third, and his penchant for seeing a lengthy at-bat, Lovullo had hoped Perdomo could provide non-traditional lineup protection for the pair of free-swingers ahead, knowing he had a patient, lengthy at-bat up next to drive up an opposing pitcher's pitch count.

But it's undeniable that Perdomo has not been his All-Star self this season. He's hit to a mere .224/.332/.347 slash with three home runs thus far in 2026 — a far cry from his fourth-place finish in the National League MVP voting a season prior.

It's not as if Perdomo has been an entirely unproductive player this season. He's had a few impressive games, and has provided some productive outs that may not show up as strongly in the stat sheet. But Arizona, despite getting star-level numbers out of Corbin Carroll and a resurgent Ketel Marte, would love to see its shortstop get back to his elite ways.

Perhaps this change can provide just enough of a tweak to Perdomo's everyday rhythm to help jumpstart a hot streak. Regardless, the Diamondbacks are not going to have an easy task Wednesday night against Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers. They'll need all the offensive optimization they can muster.

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