Arizona Diamondbacks figuring out when it’s best to rest

Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt started the first 20 games of the season before he took a break, regulated to the bench April 24 against the Padres until he trotted out of the dugout as a defensive substitute in the ninth.

The decision to sit Goldschmidt wasn’t made last-minute. It was planned days in advance, and Goldschmidt received early notice.

This process plays out with each player and although individual workloads vary, the formula for figuring out when it’s time to rest is the same for everyone – a tactic manager Torey Lovullo is relying on to try to keep the roster at full strength.

“To play your best games with your most healthy lineup in August, September is the utmost importance to me,” he said.

Determining the amount of games a player should play before taking a timeout starts with the medical team.

Arizona’s staff relays a number to Lovullo of how many games in a row it’d be comfortable with a particular player suiting up, and this benchmark is based on a host of factors – from the number of games he played last season to how the player performed in the past when rested versus in the midst of an every-day grind.

Historical knowledge like that is key. So is bearing in mind that normal aches and pains are bound to pop up during a 162-game regular season.

But the Diamondbacks are also making real-time check-ins. The team is keeping tabs on the quality of sleep players receive and asking about their state of mind, whether they feel anxious or relaxed.

“That gives a little more of a snapshot of what’s happening,” Lovullo said.

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Not all of the insight being pieced together is objective as Lovullo also uses his eyes and ears to make judgments, interpreting physical signs of fatigue and listening to what players are saying.

And gathering this information is a priority to better distribute rest, which seems to have become more important across baseball.

Last season, just three players appeared in all 162 games.

In 2015, only one – the Orioles’ Manny Machado – accomplished the feat. And the last time a player logged consecutive 162-game seasons was when the Giants’ Hunter Pence did so in 2013 and 2014.

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Only one player in Diamondbacks history has played all 162 games in a regular season, and that’s Luis Gonzalez. He did it twice, in 2000 and 2001.

“Back then, you kind of rode your horses as long as they can go,” Gonzalez said. “You want to win as many games as you can and then hopefully right before the playoffs, they get a little bit of rest and then they’re ready to go.”

Gonzalez extended his ironman streak to 446 games until he was sidelined for seven games with a rib injury, and it bothered him when the run ended.

“I always went out there with the attitude that I didn’t want someone to take my job,” he said. “I wanted to play every single day and every out. There was a pride I took in being the rock.”

Being durable still motivates today’s players, and they prepare as if they’re going to be taking the field every day – not only in-season but during the winter, as well, when they focus on training and nutritional habits that can help keep them in the lineup.

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“You look at somebody like Goldy, who plays every single day, he’s got his routine down to a science, and that’s what you kind of want to get to,” shortstop Chris Owings said. “Just knowing what your body needs every week.”

Even Goldschmidt, however, recognizes the value of taking a day off.

Although he didn’t completely unplug when he was a spectator last week, eventually getting ready in the event he would be motioned into a close game, there’s an upside to letting the body and mind take a break.

And the benefit could end up surfacing at a critical juncture of the season.

“If you’re able to keep guys fresh, you’re not necessarily going to see it off-day to the next day you’re 100 percent,” Goldschmidt said. “But I think the cumulative of just maybe in August you’re slightly fresher or September or July or whatever. That can maybe help you win a game here or there.”

Reach the reporter at [email protected] or 602-444-8276. Follow her at twitter.com/azc_mclellan.