Torey Lovullo Explains What's Going Wrong With Geraldo Perdomo

The Diamondbacks' franchise shortstop hasn't looked much like himself.

Mar 26, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Geraldo Perdomo (2) returns to the dugout after hitting a 398 foot two run home run to right field against Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (not pictured) during the fourth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo has not looked like the same player than finished fourth in the National League MVP voting come 2025's end.

The switch-hitting franchise shortstop is hitting just .233/.341/.342 so far this season, and has been struggling in nearly all areas of the game. Just two games prior, Perdomo was given an off day after a handful of mistakes nearly derailed the D-backs in a win over the Blue Jays.

"He'd be the first one to tell you [it's been a tough start to the season]. He's grinding a little bit," manager Torey Lovullo said of Perdomo in an interview with Arizona Sports 98.7's Burns & Gambo show.

"I called him in on that day off and we had a good heart-to-heart talk. We sat here for five, seven, ten, fifteen minutes and just hammered out a couple things that were on his mind. The game's not easy. He sometimes makes it look so easy that we think he can just put it in automatic and it's gonna happen every pitch, every game," Lovullo said.

"I broke it down for him. I said, 'This is what happens. This is why you are not trending in a positive direction. When you make these plays like this, it hits you hard. It's very negative. When you make plays like this, it's very positive.' So he now understands exactly what he's trying to get to."

What's going wrong for Geraldo Perdomo?

Apr 9, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (2) and second baseman Tim Tawa (13) celebrate after defeating the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Perdomo's numbers are a far cry from where he's been in the past. The shortstop hit to a career-best .851 OPS and 20 homers a year ago, but he's struggled with putting up positive swings in 2026.

Lovullo did touch on the technicalities of Perdomo's offensive struggles in a previous interview with Burns & Gambo.

"During the games, he's got a little bit of tilt to his swing. ... backside might be dropping, maybe trying to create a little loft and a little backspin which is slowing down his swing. ... Pitches he should be driving, he's falling behind in the count by hitting a foul ball.

"So, instead of the ball getting finished with a good follow-through and a handsy swing like I'm watching him in BP, it's a chipped foul ball," Lovullo said.

The manager said on Wednesday that he thinks Perdomo's offense is "coming," however.

"When he starts to drive balls and uses his hands through the course of his entire swing and hit balls to that pull side, I think he's showing us signs that he's gonna be just fine," Lovullo said.

Quietly, Perdomo has put up a base hit in his box score in each of his past five games. He does appear to be slowly putting his swing back together, though he is not quite back to the elite level D-backs fans are used to seeing.