Pavin Smith's Diamondbacks Roster Spot Isn't Safe Yet

Pavin Smith turned to watch the deep fly ball he'd just hit soar towards the right field bleachers. As it clanged two thirds of the way up the foul pole, the first thought that came to his mind was relief.

"I knew it had the distance," Smith said. "It was kind of curving, and then it straightened out, and I was praying it hit the foul pole, just so it didn't leave it in the umpire's hands."

That's So Pavin pic.twitter.com/tN7AsmQaTy
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) June 16, 2026

The relief went well beyond that brief moment. To say Smith had been struggling this year would be a massive understatement. He came into the game batting just 3-for-29, .103 with zero extra-base hits. Now he's up to .152 after a two-hit night.

He was excited to finally be able to contribute to the team.

"I've had lots of opportunities to do so over the last few games, and not to be able to come through definitely hurts," he said. "So being able to come through for the first time feels good."

Pavin Smith's Up-and-Down Career

Smith, a first-round draft pick in back in 2017, has at times shown glimpses of performance worthy of such a lofty selection. But except for a few brief segments of his career, he's been average at best, and at times worse.

In fact, up through early September of 2025 in 1185 plate appearances, Smith had a .701 OPS, or 92 wRC+. League average is 100. That would be fine for an above-average defender at a key defensive position. But Smith had played below-average defense in the outfield and roughly average at first base to that point in his career.

And then something clicked. Suddenly in early September 2024, he started crushing balls deep over the wall for home runs. He hit for average. He took walks. His production level carried over into April of 2025. Over 137 plate appearances he hit an amazing .348 with an 1.184 OPS and 219 wRC+.

Pavin Smith on his go-ahead homer Monday night: pic.twitter.com/u4kbdwab0h
— Diamondbacks On SI (@DbacksOnSI) June 16, 2026

But then it stopped. Over the next two months, 57 games, he hit .213 with just four homers and a boatload of strikeouts. He suffered an oblique injury in early July that sidelined him several weeks. He returned for a brief period, never really got it going again, and then had to be shut down for the year with quad injury.

Three games into the 2026 season he had to go back on the injured list due to a sore elbow. That resulted in surgery to removed fragments, and brings us to today.

For his career Smith has a .717 OPS and a 101 wRC+. That's almost exactly league average. He's not been as bad as some would have you believe, but he's also not been as good as the organization believes he is.

Pavin Smith is on the Hot Seat

Jun 15, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Pavin Smith rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

While the organization has continued to give Smith plenty of opportunity, their actions show that they are getting close to the point of having to make a tough decision.

Looking for some more power from the left side, the Diamondbacks recently signed left-hand batting outfielder/DH Max Kepler to a major league contract. Kepler was suspended 80 days for PED usage, but is eligible to be activated on June 25. He is currently playing in the D-backs' minor league system to prepare.

Smith is out of minor league options, meaning he can't just be sent to Triple-A Reno. If the team wanted to make a change at his roster spot they would have to DFA him and pass him through waivers, and he most certainly would not clear.

Prior to Monday night's game, Arizona Diamondbacks On SI had a chance to ask manager Torey Lovullo if there was a sense of urgency for Smith to get untracked again.

"I think everybody has to walk around with a sense of urgency. Nothing's handed to anybody inside this organization, and that's the beauty of sport," Lovullo said.

While that may be true, as evidenced by the trade of Alek Thomas, and the recent sendouts to Triple-A of Jose Fernandez and Ryan Waldschmidt, Smith has clearly been given more chances than most.

Smith likely returned prematurely from his rehab assignment as the team's offense was struggling. Bringing players back too early without enough rehab at-bats (or innings) has been a theme for the D-backs this year.

Lovullo confirmed that.

"We knew that there was going to be a little bit of a grinding period of time because we clipped him in his rehab early to just get that quality at bat here, and it hasn't been easy for him," Lovullo said.

"So I'm giving him a little bit of space to figure that out, but I know he's working hard to make it happen as soon as possible.

"It hasn't yet reached the space I think you are talking about. I want to be fair to the athlete because of what we're asking him to do. But at some point, if it continues with him or any other player, we have to make tough decisions."

Those tough decisions are looming. Smith did not save his roster spot with one good game or one home run. He's going to need to stay hot over an extended period of time. Otherwise, even his most ardent supporters in Mike Hazen and Torey Lovollo will have no choice but to make a move.

"Pavin can hit. I know that," Lovullo said. "He's had a tough draw with the injury. He was going to be fine. He was getting ready to have probably, in my opinion, his best year. But he just got injured, and I want to give him a fair space to be able to go out there and get back into the swing of it."

Smith is an affable, likable person, and is considered a good clubhouse guy. He joked with the media in a self-effacing manner last night about a bunt attempt earlier in the game being the first time he found the barrel in a while.

Teammate Ryne Nelson got up on the podium postgame and spoke to how good it felt to see Smith's smile as he rounded the bases, noting what a good presence he is in the clubhouse.

Smith is a feel hitter, who has been searching for his mojo. He'll need to find it sooner rather than later if he's to continue his career with the Diamondbacks.

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