Geraldo

Perdomo

This always seemed likely after Geraldo Perdomo signed his contract extension earlier in the spring. Injuries limited Lawlar to just 23 minor league games in 2024, so the team wants him to play regularly at the start of the season, and the best place for that is in Triple-A right now. Perdomo is able to play anywhere on the infield, so if Lawlar were to get off to a strong start, the Diamondbacks could move Perdomo to a utility role or have him play second base or third base if there were an injury. We will likely see Lawlar get MLB at-bats this season.

So many are waiting for Jordan Lawlar to overtake Perdomo, but the Diamondbacks made it clear that’s not about to happen when they signed Perdomo to a four-year, $45 million extension last month. Lawlar has started seeing some time at third base this spring. Perdomo, used only at shortstop, is 8-for-24 with a homer and four walks, giving him a .990 OPS.

Perdomo’s second-inning blast off Cubs starter Jameson Taillon was his first big fly of the spring. The 25-year-old switch-hitter, who agreed to a four-year, $45 million contract extension last week, doesn’t offer much of a fantasy impact given how loaded the shortstop position group is at the moment. Yet, he should make an impact in NL-only formats as a potential double-digit home run and 20-plus stolen base source.

Passan adds that the deal begins next season and buys out up to three years of free agency. The two sides avoided an arbitration hearing last month by agreeing to a one-year, $2.55 million pact for 2025. The 25-year-old is an outstanding defensive shortstop and has batted .235/.327/.330 in 401 contests since 2021. The big question here for fantasy purposes is how much Perdomo sticking around in the desert will complicate top prospect Jordan Lawlar’s long-term outlook.

Perdomo had been projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to earn $2.1 million in arbitration, so it looks like he came out ahead in this deal. The 25-year-old shortstop hit .273/.344/.374 with just three homers, 37 RBI and nine stolen bases over 388 plate appearances for the Diamondbacks in 2024. Hitting near the bottom of the D’Backs’ lineup, speed and batting average will be his only redeeming fantasy categories from a fantasy perspective in 2025.

The 24-year-old shortstop smacked a two-run double during an eight-run rally in the second inning and scored on an RBI single by Josh Bell. He also singled in the sixth inning, swiped second base and scored on an RBI knock by Corbin Carroll. With his two-hit attack, Perdomo is now slashing .278/.345/.393 with three homers, 29 RBI and seven stolen bases in 73 games on the season.

Perdomo, who was an All-Star last season, missed much of this year with an injury but has been the 65th-ranked player in Yahoo 5x5 scoring over the last month. In 32 games since the All-Star break, he has hit .299 with three home runs, 10 doubles, 15 RBI, 22 runs scored, and five steals. He is a solid add in most formats if you need middle infield help.

McCarthy has been performing well as the No. 2 hitter with Ketel Marte sidelined, so we’re not sure why Torey Lovullo keeps making changes here (he also had McCarthy hit fifth Sunday before returning him to the second spot last night). McCarthy has a .383 OBP for the year, and he’s batting .380/.426/.620 since the All-Star break. Perdomo is performing well, too, but not to the same extent.

Marte has tried to play through the ankle injury for over a week now but aggravated it twice, including in Sunday’s game, so it comes as no surprise that the Diamondbacks are just going to shut him down for a short period and hope that he can fully recover. It’s a brutal blow for the Diamondbacks and for fantasy managers who are nearing the end of their season. The hope is that Marte can come back within two weeks. Kevin Newman figures to serve as the everyday second baseman for now, and Geraldo Perdomo will likely be the Diamondbacks’ lead-off hitter as long as Marte is out, which gives him a boost in fantasy value. Pavin Smith was called up in a corresponding move.

Perdomo’s homer came in his 192nd plate appearance of the season. He missed a little more than two months with a knee injury in the first half, but he’s batting a respectable .275/.330/.374 through 50 games.