Diamondbacks Suffer Surprise Infield Injury

On Monday, the Arizona Diamondbacks announced a surprise injury to their young infield.

First baseman Tyler Locklear was placed on the 10-day Injured List with right elbow inflammation. In his place, utilityman Tim Tawa was recalled from Triple-A Reno.

Arizona Diamondbacks' Tyler Locklear Lands on Injured List

Locklear, 24, has not had a particularly successful second stint in the major leagues. After coming over to Arizona from the Mariners in the trade that sent Eugenio Suárez back to Seattle, Locklear was expected to take over more of an everyday role at first base.

Those results had yet to materialize. In 31 big-league games this season, Locklear hit to a mere .175/.267/.262 and .529 OPS.

He hit his first three homers with the D-backs, but the raw power was offset by a significant swing-and-miss problem. Locklear struck out 43 times against only 10 walks in 116 plate appearances.

With that said, he was also starting to show a bit more comfort in the box to open September. Locklear was riding a six-game on-base streak prior to his injury, and had a base hit in five straight from September 1-6.

He was also involved in an ugly defensive breakdown in Sunday's loss to the Red Sox.

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With Locklear down, switch-hitting veteran infielder Ildemaro Vargas gets the start for Monday's game against the San Francisco Giants. Vargas has played just two innings at first base since the 2020 season. He's played one inning there this season for the Diamondbacks.

The Diamondbacks' first base position has been decimated this season.

Left-handed counterpart Pavin Smith's season just ended, as he was placed on the 60-day IL with a left quad strain. Opening Day first baseman Josh Naylor was another Trade Deadline casualty, now playing alongside Suárez in Seattle.

Arizona Diamondbacks' Tim Tawa Returns to MLB

Tawa made his MLB debut with Arizona in early April. He got into 59 games with the big league club before he was optioned back to Triple-A on July 5.

Tawa hit .200/.262/.355 with six doubles and six homers in his first major league stint. Though the overall numbers don't say much, there was plenty of power in his bat.

He also fit in well defensively in a vareity of roles. In fact, he played every defensive position but catcher and shortstop. He was proficient in both the infield and outfield, with +3 Defensive Runs Saved per Baseball-Reference.

Tawa suffered a rib fracture on July 10 that was initially considered a bone bruise. He played six games before returning to the IL, where he sat for 34 days. He played in three games for Reno before being recalled. In total, he hit for an .851 OPS with the Aces.

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