How Tyler Locklear Has Hit the Ground Running for Diamondbacks

It's only been five games for Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Tyler Locklear, but he already looks like a much more mature, dangerous hitter at the plate.

Over Locklear's first 19 plate appearances since his recall from Triple-A Reno, he's hitting to the tune of a .375/.474/.625 triple slash line and a 1.099 OPS. He's doubled, homered and walked three times in the process, and has contributed five RBI.

It's a very, very small sample size, and it's too early to begin drawing serious conclusions, but the quality of Locklear's at-bats has been notably improved since his unsuccessful early stint with the Diamondbacks in 2025.

Manager Torey Lovullo spoke with Arizona Sports 98.7's Burns & Gambo show on Friday, and gave his thoughts on what Locklear is doing differently to achieve his immediate major league success.

Torey Lovullo on Tyler Locklear's hot start with Diamondbacks

Sep 7, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Tyler Locklear against the Boston Red Sox at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Here's what Lovullo had to say:

"I think he's got a nice little move. He's moved to load, and he's really firing forward," Lovullo said.

"There's some pitches that he may have been missing last year that he's not missing this year. Somebody that's worked really hard to get some footing."

"You know, he had an injury on one play that required two separate surgeries on his left arm. So it was gonna take him a little bit of time to get some of that foundation. He was still on our radar overall, but it took him time to get that first call-up in the 2026 season, and he's making the most of it."

Certainly, Locklear's Triple-A numbers had begun to garner some attention. He was hitting .313 for a .896 OPS for the Reno Aces at the time of his call-up, and had an OPS well north of 1.400 in 11 Triple-A games during the month of July.

It's been tough for the Diamondbacks to zero in on a first base solution this season. Both Pavin Smith and Carlos Santana were ineffective and affected by injuries. Both of those veteran options have since been designated for assignment.

Ildemaro Vargas and Tim Tawa have produced at a higher clip of late, but have not been consistent offensive weapons this season.

Clearly, it will not be sustainable for Locklear to continue at a full-season pace of a near-1.100 OPS. But considering the fact he was only able to put up a .175/.267/.262 slash and .529 OPS over the course of his first 31 games with the D-backs in 2025, this hot streak he's on is quite the encouraging look.

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