Even in the best-case scenario, Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s knee injury will cost him at least couple of months of the 2026 season, meaning the Diamondbacks will have a hole to fill in left field to start the year.
From listening to general manager Mike Hazen think through the situation, it seems the Diamondbacks probably will not pursue a big-name replacement, not when the club has so many needs on the other side of the roster. Hazen could always change his mind, but he sounded confident the team would look within.
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“We need to be able to cover left field internally,” Hazen said, “because the resources are going to need to be expended on pitching.”
Gurriel was placed on the injured list on Tuesday, Sept. 2, with a torn ACL in his right knee, an injury he suffered the previous night while trying to avoid a collision in the outfield. Gurriel is seeking multiple opinions but is expected to need reconstructive surgery. Depending on the severity of the injury, he could be sidelined anywhere from eight to 12 months.
The shorter end of that timetable would mean a return in the first couple of months of next season.
Hazen sees no shortage of options when it comes to potential fill-ins. Three players currently on the roster are obvious candidates: Jake McCarthy, Jorge Barrosa and Blaze Alexander, the latter of whom has begun to get reps in the outfield this season after coming up as an infielder.
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Tim Tawa, who played in 59 games in the majors earlier this year but has spent the past month on the injured list in Triple-A Reno, could be another option. He is expected to return from the IL soon and could find his way back to the majors this month.
Gurriel’s injury came at a bad time in the sense that he was in the midst of one of his more productive stretches this season. He finishes the year with rather pedestrian numbers: .248/.295/.418 with 19 homers and 80 RBIs in 129 games. His advanced offensive numbers rated about six or seven percent below league average.
Still, none of the players who look like potential stopgaps are safe bets to deliver the sort of steady offensive production of Gurriel. They are however, young, athletic and fast, and could help the club in other ways by providing a speed-and-defense dynamic.
Hazen views them as part of a shift toward a different style of offense, one that has been underway since the club dealt Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor at the trade deadline.
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“At a base minimum, we should have a good defensive team next year,” Hazen said. “We’ve seen what a better defensive team has done (to help the pitching staff).”
He added: “I think this team has enough talent, athleticism and skill to hit enough to be a good offensive team, even if we’re not relying on scoring nine runs a night.”
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (12) is taken off by cart after a collision in the outfield in the sixth inning during the game between the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Sept. 1, 2025, in Phoenix.
Prospects Tommy Troy and Ryan Waldschmidt, both of whom are in the upper minors, also could work their way into the outfield picture next season.
Hazen figures his attention this offseason will be focused almost entirely on the pitching staff. Assuming right-hander Zac Gallen departs, the Diamondbacks will have two vacancies to fill in the starting rotation, plus a bullpen that likely needs two or more late-inning relief options.
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With a payroll that is expected to decrease from this year’s franchise record mark – the Diamondbacks began this year in the neighborhood of $200 million – Hazen believes he will need to devote most of his financial resources toward pitching. He also might have to trade from his position player group to land arms.
—Nick Piecoro
Rangers at Diamondbacks, 12:40 p.m., Cox, Ch. 34Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (10-13, 4.94) vs. Rangers RHP Jack Leiter (9-7, 3.77)
At Chase Field: Gallen survived the trade deadline at the end of July, remaining with the Diamondbacks, and has gone 3-1 since. He has not given up more than three earned runs in six starts since the deadline, and has pitched six innings in five of those outings. His most recent start saw him shut down the Dodgers on only two hits in six innings (three walks, eight strikeouts) in Los Angeles. Gallen is 2-1 with a 3.25 ERA in five career starts against the Rangers, including one earlier this season. … Leiter has won his past two starts, with a combined 13 innings pitched, 17 strikeouts, two walks and two earned runs on seven hits allowed. He shut out the Guardians on two hits over seven innings with 10 strikeouts on Aug. 23 at home. Fourteen of the 100 hits he’s allowed this season have been home runs. Leiter’s lone career start against Arizona came in Texas on Aug. 12, when he threw five innings, allowing one run.
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Coming up
Sept. 4: Off.
Sept. 5: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (6-8, 5.40) vs. Red Sox LHP Payton Tolle (0-0, 3.38).
Sept. 6: At Chase Field, 5:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (12-8, 5.33) vs. Red Sox TBA.
Sept. 7: At Chase Field, 1:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (7-3, 3.57) vs. Red Sox TBA.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks vs. Rangers: How to replace Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in 2026?