Diamondbacks Promote Waldschmidt, DFA Thomas

The Arizona Diamondbacks promoted top outfield prospect Ryan Waldschmidt from Triple-A Reno and designated outfielder Alek Thomas for assignment on Friday, reshaping their roster amid a sluggish start to the season.

The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster for the 23-year-old Waldschmidt, the 31st overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of the University of Kentucky. In 128 at-bats this season at Reno, he posted a .289 batting average with a .400 on-base percentage, .477 slugging percentage and .877 OPS, including three home runs, 22 RBIs and 15 extra-base hits. Waldschmidt, ranked as the organization's top prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 41 overall by Baseball America, earned a Double-A All-Star nod last year after hitting 18 home runs across High-A and Double-A. He did not start in Arizona's series opener against the New York Mets.

Thomas, 26, has batted .181 with two home runs and a .222 on-base percentage in 100 plate appearances this year, continuing a trend of below-average offensive production. Over parts of five major league seasons, he holds a .230 batting average, .273 on-base percentage and .634 OPS. Despite his struggles at the plate, Thomas has provided strong...