Diamondbacks Manager Explains Corbin Carroll's Rapid Return

"I was trying to explain to you guys that Corbin was coming quick," Lovullo said Saturday.

"He felt good. He's been talking about his routine and process. And that's the thing that always stands out to me, his ability to know where he's standing at that time. He's always present. He's given me great evaluations as to the pain that he was feeling.

"It was decreasing each day, even though he was ramping up the volume," Lovullo said.

Carroll took BP swings on Thursday, before asking his manager if he could get into an Arizona Complex League game. That came as a shock, but the star outfielder had reported minimal discomfort.

Carroll told reporters on Saturday that he felt "much better" Friday, and that the pain had subsided.

"I'm grateful for the commitment and the dedication and now he's in the lineup [Saturday]," Lovullo continued.

"He's one of our best players and one of the best players in the National League. The fact that he's in the lineup is going to give us a much-needed boost."

Despite the quick turnaround, Lovullo maintained that Carroll could not do further damage to his wrist, per the report he received from Arizona's medical team.

"That's always a question that I ask. ... The trainers and the medical team will come in and say that there's no chance he can do any more harm to his body. So once we check that box, I get into a more comfortable position..."

"It was one of the last conversations I had last night with the medical team. And they said, 'He's ready. He's ready for you.' And when I hear that, I'm going to put him in the lineup," Lovullo said.

The activation, along with the choice to send Tawa down instead of fellow left-hand outfielder Jake McCarthy, does provide a bit of an outfield logjam for Lovullo.

The skipper said he likes "all three" of his left-handed outfielders, and that he doesn't want to force any of them to sit for extended periods.

"I want them to all play. There's going to be a little bit of a rotation," Lovullo said. "Gurriel will need days off. Corbin will need days off. ... They're all good baseball players. They're all going to figure out how to help us win baseball games when they're playing."

Arizona Diamondbacks Option Tim Tawa to Triple-A

Rookie Tim Tawa had been valuable as a defensive utility player, but was on a 4-for-41 slide at the plate. Lovullo had nothing but good things to say about Tawa and his effort, but noted the need for him to head down and regain his confidence offensively.

"I think there was a pitching plan against him. He wasn't making adjustments and started, in my opinion, perhaps losing a little confidence. You could see the way he was playing. It was a little bit of a grind," Lovullo said.

"I think that's how it is at this level. ... It takes a little bit of time. Some of the best players have been sent down since I've been in this game."

Lovullo, of course, still expressed confidence in Tawa's ability to contribute.

"What I explained to him also is that he's a winning baseball player. I love having him around. ... He's a great leader, and we're going to miss him. But we want to have him come back here as fast as possible to help us win some games," Lovullo said.

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