Manager Torey Lovullo’s job is about to get even more complicated. Jake Lamb has been activated for the Diamondbacks’ matinee game against the LA Dodgers on Wednesday. With his return finalized, the question looms: Whom will Lamb be replacing in the lineup?

As he slowly worked his way back from a strained quadricep, Lamb played a stretch of rehab games with Triple-A Reno. He hit just .179 with seven hits in 12 games, but he and the club are more focused on his health than his subpar numbers.

“I feel good,” Lamb said. “I was hitting some balls hard and didn’t really have anything to show for it. It was more just my mentality at the plate. Those first five or six games it’s like you’re almost thinking about the quad rather than hitting the baseball. Now it’s not even a thought.”

As an All-Star in 2017, Lamb hit .248 with 30 homers. His numbers fell off last season as he fought through shoulder issues that culminated in season-ending surgery. If he can return to his 2017 form, he’ll be a boost to a team fighting to stay above .500. So, how can the Diamondbacks get his bat back in the lineup?

Lamb’s customary positions are first and third base, which are currently occupied by Christian Walker and Eduardo Escobar, respectively, who have both had solid seasons so far.

Escobar could shift to second base, opening up third for Lamb, but that raises another issue: Ketel Marte is still easing his way back from a groin injury. If Escobar takes second, Marte will need to move to his other position of center fielder. Although he’s been cleared to play in the infield, Lovullo is not yet positive as to when Marte will be ready to be placed in a more strenuous outfield position.

Lovullo said his solution may involve breaking down the upcoming schedule into a 10-day cycles and switching players in and out of the starting lineup.

“It’s gonna be tough taking them out of the lineup,” Lovullo said. “But I know that there’s a need for some rest right now. Some of our athletes are overworked because we’ve had to put them out there. We’ve been a little thin in certain situations with certain spots, so I know that even though they don’t want the off day, they’re going to welcome the off day, and it’s going to help them get better.”

Lovullo said he expects to lean more on Escobar, who is hitting .282 with 17 homers, than Lamb and Walker.

“It’s gonna be hard to sit down Eduardo, I’ll say that,” Lovullo said. “It’s never an easy moment when you don’t put his name in the lineup. But I feel the same with all the guys, Ketel and Adam and David. When you sit them down, it’s hard to miss those guys.”

Young for Thursday

Lovullo said the Diamondbacks will recall left-hander Alex Young from Triple-A Reno to make his major league debut on Thursday night in San Francisco.

Like many pitchers in the Pacific Coast League this season, Young has not fared well, posting a 6.09 ERA in 54 2/3 innings, though he has racked up 64 strikeouts.

The Diamondbacks, with injuries to Luke Weaver, Jon Duplantier and Taijuan Walker, and an ineffective Zack Godley, the Diamondbacks are dipping deep into their starting pitching reserves to select Young.

A scout familiar with Young, 25, described him as a “pitchability lefty” with “fringy stuff,” but said he changes speeds well and is usually around the plate. Young topped out at 91 mph in a recent outing.

Lovullo said Godley had been shifted back to the bullpen, and he said right-hander Taylor Clarke would start on Wednesday. The club had appeared to be mulling the idea of moving Clarke out of the rotation, as well, after he struggled on Friday for the fourth time in five outings.

Prospect added

The Diamondbacks’ signing last week of 12th-round pick Avery Short gives them another well-regarded prospect to add to their draft haul from earlier in the month.

Scouting director Deric Ladnier said Short, a left-handed pitcher out of an Indiana high school, has all the makings of a potential big league starter. He doesn’t overpower with stuff – his fastball can range from 88-92, according to reports – but he has a four-pitch mix and a repeatable delivery.

“He’s been a highly successful amateur high school pitcher on the national stage,” Ladnier said. “We’ve seen him pitch for a long time at the highest level of competition he’s been successful.”

Short did not have a good spring, likely causing him to slip in the draft. The Diamondbacks still saw enough that they were willing to pay him like a second-round pick. Avery, who is represented by agent Matt Sosnick, received a $922,500 bonus, an amount first reported by MLB.com’s Jim Callis.

“What he ultimately becomes, time will tell, but we believe he absolutely has starter components,” Ladnier said. “This guy has a chance to be a starter at the major league level because of his ability to pitch with a four-pitch mix and his ability to locate and command it.”

Once the Diamondbacks finalize contracts with comp picks Tommy Henry and Dominic Fletcher, they will have signed all of their Top-10 round picks and will still have money leftover for another late-round overpay. 

Reach reporter Julia Stumbaugh at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @julia_stumbaugh.

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