Diamondbacks Veteran to Undergo Surprise Elbow Surgery

This is not positive news for the D-backs.

Apr 4, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; A detailed view of an Arizona Diamondbacks hat at the game between the Washington Nationals and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images | Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo revealed a surprising injury update on one of the D-backs' key veterans in Tuesday's pre-game interview.

According to D-backs radio broadcaster Chris Garagiola, first baseman and DH Pavin Smith will have to undergo surgery on his left elbow. Smith was transferred from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list as part of a five-player roster move earlier on Tuesday afternoon.

Diamondbacks' Pavin Smith to have elbow surgery

Mar 27, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Pavin Smith (26) celebrates in the dugout after scoring on an RBI double by center fielder Alek Thomas (not pictured) in the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

As Garagiola reported, Smith will have some "loose bodies" removed from his elbow. There is no official timeline as of this writing, but the general recovery process for this type of procedure is somewhere in the range of six to eight weeks.

Smith had been dealing with elbow issues earlier in spring training, but at that time, it was not considered to be a severe issue.

He did not undergo any imaging initially, but was ultimately scratched from the first game of the regular season at Dodger Stadium. That did, in turn, cause the team to send Smith in for imaging, which came back without any serious structural damage, and he ended up playing the next game.

Smith received a cortisone shot, but his elbow did not ultimately respond in the way the Diamondbacks would have hoped. He was placed on the 10-day IL on March 30, which cleared the way for rookie infielder Jose Fernandez to make an exceptional MLB debut.

It was hoped that Smith could see a return to his 2024 form this season, after injuries similarly shortened his 2025 campaign. Smith hit to a .258/.362/.434 line with eight homers over just 87 games last season, a step down from the .895 OPS he posted as a pure platoon DH during 2024.

Diamondbacks 1B, DH depth is quite thin

Apr 7, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Adrian del Castillo (25) reacts after hitting a two-run scoring single during the fifth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

But now, the D-backs will continue without their left-handed first base option for a significant period of time. While Fernandez (who bats right-handed) has had success both offensively and defensively, the D-backs are thin on left-handed hitting depth.

As it stands, catcher Adrian Del Castillo is the primary lefty DH against right-hand pitching. Del Castillo is hitting 7-for-21 (.333) in his limited sample size, with five RBI and some clutch late-game knocks, but has just one extra-base hit to go along with seven strikeouts.

And Arizona's first base position remains a total group effort once again.

All three of the D-backs' initial options at first — Smith, Carlos Santana and Tyler Locklear — are on the IL with different injuries. Santana is on the IL dealing with an adductor strain, while Locklear is still a lengthy period away from returning after having surgery on both his elbow and shoulder in the offseason.