Welcome back to the D-backs Beat newsletter! Steve Gilbert has covered the D-backs since 1998. 

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- As is typical this time of the spring, the D-backs were hit with several injuries over the past week. None of them turned out to be serious, which was good news for them, but the fact that they happened gives us a good excuse to take a look at the depth of the roster. 

Let’s start with the one that would have hurt the D-backs the most had it been serious: Christian Walker. 

Walker was hit on the right hand by a pitch last Thursday, and was in obvious discomfort as he immediately left the game. 

“It was really painful,” Walker said. “It started throbbing immediately. Sometimes you can tell pretty early -- in the seconds right after is when I get the best judge [on] if something is really wrong or not.” 

This time Walker wasn’t sure. It wasn’t until he underwent an X-ray that day and an MRI the following day that it was determined there was no serious injury. Walker has been hitting in the cage and is expected to be back in the lineup Thursday. 

What would the D-backs have done had Walker been out for an extended period of time?  

While Lourdes Gurriel Jr. played a little first base last spring and has experience at the position, Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said his preference would be to leave Gurriel in the outfield. Instead, he would go with some combination of Pavin Smith and Emmanuel Rivera at first base. 

Replacing Walker’s bat is tough enough, but it is nearly impossible to replace his Gold Glove-caliber defense at first base. 

Outfielder Alek Thomas was back in the lineup Tuesday after suffering from some inflammation in his right wrist.  

The outfield is where the D-backs have a lot of depth and could probably sustain an injury the best, unless of course it’s Corbin Carroll. In fact, Arizona's outfield is overcrowded at the moment, with Jake McCarthy and Pavin Smith battling just to make the Opening Day roster.  

Finally, third baseman Eugenio Suárez missed some time with discomfort in his left side. He was back in the lineup Tuesday -- and smacked a home run -- so he appears to be fine. 

Third base is another area where the D-backs have some depth. Besides Rivera, they have Jace Peterson and Geraldo Perdomo, both of whom could slide over to third, with Jordan Lawlar or Blaze Alexander playing some shortstop.  

General manager Mike Hazen has done a nice job of building up the depth in the organization to the point where the D-backs can sustain some losses.  

As mentioned earlier, there are players like Carroll, catcher Gabriel Moreno and the top two starters in the rotation, Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, who would be nearly impossible to replace if they’re out for an extended period of time. 

The D-backs' search for a backup shortstop continues as they signed free agent Elvis Andrus to a Minor League contract with an invite to Spring Training over the weekend. 

Perdomo is set to be the starter at short, but who will back him up is less clear.  

The D-backs ideally would like to give prospects Lawlar and Alexander everyday at-bats at Triple-A Reno, instead of sporadic playing time in the big leagues.  

Kevin Newman was the only other true shortstop in camp, though, and Lovullo has talked about getting a look at Rivera and Peterson there as well. Now you can add Andrus to the mix. 

“He’s played a very good shortstop,” Lovullo said. “It’s clear that he’s here to show us what he can do at shortstop and second base. We’re always looking to upgrade at every position.” 

Andrus probably won’t get into a game until this weekend or early next week. 

The original lineup posted by the D-backs on Tuesday for their game against the Padres had "Peterson" in the designated hitter spot batting fourth.  

“The change in the lineup was my mistake,” Lovullo said. “I put a 'T' instead of a 'D.' It was supposed to be Joc Pederson at DH instead of Jace Peterson.” 

It was only a matter of time before someone made that mistake, right? 

“For sure,” Lovullo said with a smile. “It’s a little bit challenging, I’m not gonna lie.” 

 •  Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes when Lovullo has to cut a player? I took a look at the process.

•  Closer Paul Sewald may be adding a new pitch this year.

•  Ketel Marte is looking for even more success in 2024.

•  Brandon Pfaadt was sharp in his second outing of the spring, while Tommy Henry had to grind through his third start after dominating in his first two.

To subscribe to D-backs Beat, visit this page and mark "D-backs Beat" from our newsletter list. Make sure you're following the D-backs or that they're checked as your favorite team. 

View Online