Diamondbacks Outfielder Still Out with a Sore Hamstring

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has been held out of the lineup once again on Saturday as he continues to nurse a sore left hamstring. Manager Torey Lovullo said they'll schedule him to play in the game Sunday.

Gurriel was removed from the game Wednesday afternoon after two at-bats. At the time Lovullo said he was just playing it smart, as the outfielder was already dealing with some tightness prior to the game.

Lovullo originally said that Gurriel would play on Friday, but was not in the lineup prior to the rainout of the game in Tempe against the Angels. Then he indicated that Gurriel would play Saturday, before pushing out at least one more day. Lovullo explained further what's going on prior to the team's game in Las Vegas against the A's.

"We were a day or two away from it a day or two ago and just made the decision to push it back one more day. So I think it's safe. We're in that space where we don't need to panic and force guys to go out there to catch up. And he'll get a full rep or he'll get a full total of at-bats and make sure that he's ready [for opening day]. And we're still in that safe space," Lovullo said.

"Was it a little bit more concerning than I originally thought? Yeah, I think so," the manager said. "At the beginning, I was just kind of saying minimal to nothing. But when you miss four days, yeah, it's a little bit more than that. And now is the time to push all that soreness out of there, exactly."

The cautious approach is justified. Any prolonged absence from Gurriel would be a problem for the D-backs, limiting their matchup abilities. Over the last two seasons Gurriel has hit .317/.366/.485, .852 OPS against left-hand pitching.

Gurriel isn't the only pure right-handed outfield bat projected to be on the opening day roster. Randal Grichuk was brought back to split time between DH and outfield against left-hand pitching.

Outfielders Corbin Carroll, Jake McCarthy and Alek Thomas all bat left-handed. Minor league options on the 40-man roster who are in camp include switch-hitter Jorge Barrosa and right-hand bat Tim Tawa.

If Gurriel is able to play without incident Sunday and rebounds well on Monday then he'll probably be in the clear. But knowing the nature of hamstring injuries, if they are not completely sure the lefty killer is ready, they'll potentially push him out again.