When the Arizona Diamondbacks placed Ketel Marte on the injured list nearly a month ago, they called up a versatile prospect named Tim Tawa.
Over the past four weeks, Tawa has proven to Arizona’s brass that he should remain on the roster now that Marte is back and healthy. The Diamondbacks optioned outfielder Jorge Barrosa to create the roster spot on Friday.
The decision to keep Tawa on the team, manager Torey Lovullo said, was not difficult.
“At a certain point it became a no-brainer, right?” Lovullo told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Friday. “He came up here to fill in the gap for Marte, started to hold his own and then some. He started to get some big hits, hit some big home runs and controlled the zone.
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“He started to get grounded a little bit and young players take time for that. He’s a winning player. He knows what it takes to come in and be a part of what we’re trying to do here.”
Tawa has played in 20 games, hitting .186 but with an OPS of .775.
Five of his 11 hits have left the yard, plus he’s walked at a rate higher than league average (13%). He leads MLB rookies in home runs after hitting 31 in the minors last season.
His defense, even with a couple rookie moments, has graded out pretty well with two outs above average, as he’s shown his athleticism tracking down balls or turning double plays.
Tim Tawa’s role with Ketel Marte back
Utility man Garrett Hampson, Arizona’s backup shortstop, has plenty of outfield experience to provide coverage with the D-backs sending out an outfielder.
Tawa has patrolled the outfield, as well. He played over 500 innings in the outfield in 2022 and 2023, respectively, and 241 innings out there last year.
The D-backs plan to play into his versatility a bit more now.
“At a certain point, we felt like Barrosa needed to go back down and develop. What it means for Tawa now is he’s going to split a little bit of time between second base, third base and some of the outfield,” Lovullo said. “He’s been every day at second base. We got to get him working full-speed in center field, and you’ll maybe see him get some reps out there.”
With Marte getting back from a hamstring strain, the plan is not for him to play second base every day, Lovullo told reporters in Philadelphia on Friday.
Tawa will play that role when Marte has to slot in as designated hitter in his return-to-play progression.
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