Latest Lawlar, Puk Injury Updates Are Great News for Diamondbacks

Some positive updates on a couple of rehabbing Diamondbacks.

Apr 1, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Jordan Lawlar against the Detroit Tigers at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

With all the excitement and intrigue surrounding the Arizona Diamondbacks' outfield of late, it's almost easy to forget about Jordan Lawlar's recovery — but it's progressing quite well.

Lawlar, who's been down on the 60-day injured list since April 7, after suffering a wrist fracture early in 2026, had been rehabbing in the Arizona Complex League.

He recently made the jump to Triple-A. According to manager Torey Lovullo, things are going well for the 23-year-old infielder-turned-outfielder.

Diamondbacks' Jordan Lawlar looking close to a return

Mar 10, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Jordan Lawlar against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

In Friday night's game, Lawlar played eight innings for the Reno Aces, going 2-for-4 at the plate with a double, a triple and a walk. He also made an exceptional diving catch in left center field. Lovullo said Lawlar came out of that game feeling good.

JORDAN LAWLAR GOES AIRBORNE TO MAKE THE DIVING PLAY 🛫@MiLB | #Aceball pic.twitter.com/1nDfH23Ysw

— Reno Aces (@Aces) June 6, 2026

Lawlar's bat, which was a slow-developing project for Arizona, had begun to show signs of being the impact the Diamondbacks have been hoping for out of their former No. 1 prospect. Lawlar was hitting to a .956 OPS in his first 20 plate appearances of 2026 before suffering the injury.

Certainly, the Diamondbacks have gotten a decent amount of production out of rookie outfielders Ryan Waldschmidt — a fellow No. 1 organizational prospect — and Tommy Troy. But Lawlar's return will still be positive news for an offense that has been relatively inconsistent this season.

Lawlar may still take some time to get back to full strength, however. He'll likely get into a handful more rehab games at the Triple-A level before making his return to the major league field.

Diamondbacks' A.J. Puk makes another rehab appearance

Jul 5, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher A.J. Puk gets ready to play the Kansas City Royals at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

It's been a long road back for lefty A.J. Puk, who is the first in line to return of Arizona's three key Tommy John recipients from the 2025 season.

On Friday night, making his second rehab appearance in Triple-A, he ran into some trouble in the offense-heavy PCL, giving up two runs in 0.2 innings. He threw 24 pitches, allowing a double and walking two.

Outside the box score, however, it's worth noting his velocity looked to be almost back to the level it was prior to his injury, topping out at 96 MPH on his four-seam fastball. He averaged 96.4 MPH in 2025. Lovullo said Puk felt good after his outing, despite the less-than-important results.

"Velo was exactly where we wanted it to be, and that was everything that was reported last night after the game," Lovullo said. The manager "So I'll get a little bit more of a snapshot for you in the coming hours, maybe a day or two after a conversation with medical team, possibly him."

Puk will likely need a few more rehab outings before he's ready to make his return. The velocity climbing back up is a good sign, despite the results, however.