Torey Lovullo Gives Optimistic Injury Update on Paul Sewald and Alek Thomas

Further clarifying this in a pregame media session, including The Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro, the D-backs manager hinted that the two players could be activated from the injured list as early as Tuesday in Cincinnati, depending on how the weekend goes for them.

Sewald has been out since March 25 with a left oblique strain, that he described as a “low Grade 2”. It looked like he was close to a return when he embarked on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Reno last week. He appeared in one game, pitching 2/3 of an inning with Reno on April 23, and threw 21 pitches. After complaining of soreness in the area near his injured oblique, he was pulled from his rehab assignment. Sewald threw a bullpen on Wednesday, although Lovullo did not give an update on how that went when asked. He’ll throw a rehab game at extended Spring Training on Saturday.

The D-backs bullpen has been a mixed bag in Sewald’s absence. As a unit, they rank 20th in ERA at 4.34 and 27th with a -0.80 Win Probability Added on FanGraphs. Ryan Thompson and Kevin Ginkel have been solid at the back end of the pen, but the rest of the unit has struggled at times. Having Sewald locking down the ninth inning again could create a similar domino effect that takes a little pressure off everyone else to perform like last season.

Lovullo also revealed that Alek Thomas has started a rehab assignment with Reno and will start as the designated hitter Friday night, then play in center field over the weekend. Thomas strained his left hamstring attempting to beat out a double play ball on March 31st. In four games in 2024, Thomas is 3-for-14 with a home run and four RBI. In his absence, the D-backs have primarily utilized Corbin Carroll in center field. When Thomas returns to the lineup, Carroll will most likely shift back to right field and strengthen their defensive lineup. Jake McCarthy has done a solid job in filling in, batting .284 with a .696 OPS in 26 games. He’ll return to a fourth outfielder role, backing up all three outfield spots.

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