Diamondbacks call up top prospect to play alongside Geraldo Perdomo

The Arizona Diamondbacks have called up their top prospect, shortstop Jordan Lawlar.

According to MLB.com, Lawlar is the No. 4 prospect in baseball. The Diamondbacks selected him with the sixth overall pick in the 2021 MLB draft.

Though he is a shortstop, the Diamondbacks aren't calling him up with the intention of him sitting behind or splitting time with Geraldo Perdomo. Arizona gave Perdomo a four-year, $45M contract extension this past offseason that will lock him up with a club option through 2030. He was an All-Star in 2023, and he's only 25 years old.

No, the idea behind calling up Lawlar is that the Diamondbacks want to get both him and Perdomo in the lineup together. Notably, the 22 year old from Carrollton, Texas can play second and third as well as shortstop. 

“I told Jordan that we signed Perdomo because of him,” Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen said last week, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. “It wasn’t to block him off. I want them to be together. This will be a very good team with both of those guys on the same team. I’m not necessarily worried about who the shortstop is.”

According to an update from Kamila Hinkson and Keith Law of The Athletic, Lawlar won't get every day at-bats just yet. The Diamondbacks are expecting him to be productive at the big league level this season, though.

'We wanted to add him to the team given how he’s been performing and figure he’ll impact the team in a few ways," Hazen said. 

Lawlar played 14 games with the big club in 2023, notching just four hits in 31 at bats. He struggled with injuries in 2024 and played in just 23 minor league games. 

Lawlar has hit .366 with 15 doubles, six home runs and 31 RBIs in 37 games this season in Triple-A Reno. He appeared to be ready for a call up, and the 21-20 Diamondbacks can use all the help they can get in the stacked NL West.