Alek

Thomas

Thomas suffered an oblique strain while playing with Triple-A at the end of August. He’s hit .191 with three home runs and 17 RBI in 37 games with Arizona this year.

Thomas missed a month due to an oblique strain. He was down for three months earlier this season due to a hamstring injury, so it’s been close to a lost year for him. If he gets healthy next season, he could overtake Jake McCarthy at some point, but probably not right away.

It’s been a lost season for Thomas, who has batted .191 (18-for-94) with three homers and four steals in just 37 games due to injury. The 24-year-old centerfielder was shipped back to the minors last week and is now expected to miss at least a month, which takes him out of contention for a late-season call up.

Thomas is Arizona’s best defensive center fielder, but he’s hit just .191/.248/.362 in 37 games, in part due to what seems to be some bad luck; due to his 47% hard-hit rate and modest 17% strikeout rate, Statcast him with an xBA of .284 and xSLG of .466. He’s losing his spot in part because of Jake McCarthy’s improved play but also because the Diamondbacks wanted another infielder (Blaze Alexander) around with Ketel Marte hurting. It’s good news for those rostering McCarthy.

Thomas’ home run was his third of the year. He hit a solo shot off Kyle Hendricks in the fifth inning. Thomas has started the last two games even though it seems like he’s sharing playing time with Jake McCarthy. Thomas has some pop in his bat, which could be the separator between him and McCarthy over the course of the rest of the season. Thomas is hitting .214 with a .670 OPS and 12 RBI in 56 at-bats this year.

Thomas came in with the bases loaded in a 7-2 game, and he turned that into a 7-6 nailbiter with one swing of the bat. The 24-year-old has just his second homer of the season, but keep in mind he missed three months while a hamstring strain. A friendly reminder of the talent, but Thomas is a tough recommend in redraft formats.

Thomas will make his long-awaited return to Arizona’s lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Dodgers after missing three months due to a hamstring strain and a couple setbacks during his rehabilitation process.

Thomas hit pause on his rehab assignment last week after experiencing some renewed hamstring soreness, but he’s apparently feeling well enough to get back into game action already. The 24-year-old had been out since late March due to a hamstring strain and several setbacks along the way during his rehabilitation process. However, he appears to be on track to return at some point in early July.

Thomas has had a tough time making his way back from a hamstring injury suffered March 31. He had a significant setback on his original rehab assignment in early May, and while this doesn’t seem to be nearly as serious, his body continues to hold him back. Thomas last played for the Rookie ACL Diamondbacks on Monday, going 3-for-3 with a double.

The 24-year-old outfielder has been playing games in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League over the weekend, so he’ll step up the competition level for a few games at Triple-A before he’s cleared to return to the Diamondbacks’ outfield. If all goes according to plan, he should return before the end of next week.