LOS ANGELES — The Diamondbacks promoted infielder Jordan Lawlar to the majors on Friday, Aug. 29, again bringing the top prospect to the big leagues without a clear path for him to receive everyday playing time.

General manager Mike Hazen said young infielder Blaze Alexander will continue to see regular playing time at third base, where he has performed well since taking over following the trade of Eugenio Suarez last month.

“The way Blaze has played, he deserves to continue to play, obviously,” Hazen said. “He’s not pushing Blaze out of the way.”

Lawlar is taking the place on the roster of first baseman Pavin Smith, who was placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained left quad that likely will cost him the rest of the season, Hazen said.

The Diamondbacks made another roster move ahead of their series opener at Dodger Stadium, optioning right-hander Taylor Rashi to Triple-A Reno and recalling lefty Brandyn Garcia.

Hazen outlined a variety of ways Lawlar could find his way in the lineup. Shortstop Geraldo Perdomo, second baseman Ketel Marte and Alexander all will receive occasional off days or days at designated hitter, opening up starts for Lawlar.

Lawlar was in the starting lineup for the series opener against the Dodgers at third base, with Alexander shifting to second base and Marte serving as the designated hitter.

Hazen also said Alexander could get some starts in center field against left-handed pitching. Alexander started 10 games in center field for Reno earlier this season, his first exposure to the position as a professional.

Lovullo said he wants to give Alexander at least a few days to get back up to speed in center field with outfield coach Dave McKay before he plays there in a game.

Though Lawlar played third, second and short in his previous stint, Lovullo said Lawlar will not see time at second this time around. Lovullo said the team is more willing to let Alexander move around the field, in part because he is more established in the majors at this point than Lawlar.

Alexander is hitting .232/.327/.423 in 142 at-bats this season, though he hit a more robust .255/.355/.500 with six homers in 92 at-bats in August after taking over for Suarez.

Hazen described himself as “less forceful” on outlining a plan for at-bats for Lawlar than he was when the team brought him to the majors in May.

“Lawlar is going to play some,” Hazen said. “I’m going to leave it up to (manager) Torey (Lovullo) on how he needs to kind of maneuver it around.”

Lawlar, the sixth overall pick in the 2021 draft, has had two brief stints in the majors during his time as a pro. Neither has gone well from a production standpoint.

Called up late in the 2023 season, Lawlar went just 4 for 31 (.129) and struggled to drive balls even out of the infield, though he did stick on the roster during the postseason as a pinch runner.

His other trip to the big leagues occurred this past May, in which he went 0 for 19, though he started in back-to-back games only once.

Injuries have been an issue at various points throughout Lawlar’s career, and this year has been no exception. He spent seven weeks on the injured list during the middle of the season due to a hamstring strain.

But when healthy, Lawlar did what he has always done in the minors: produced. In 63 games with Reno, he hit .313/.403/.564 with 11 homers and 20 steals in 23 attempts. In 10 games since returning from the hamstring issue, Lawlar hit .279 with a .832 OPS and one home run.

James McCann scratched; Gabriel Moreno steps in

James McCann was scratched from the Diamondbacks starting lineup due to lower back tightness, the Diamondbacks said, and catcher Gabriel Moreno was inserted into the lineup in his place.

Perhaps most significant is that the change snaps a streak of starts in which McCann had matched up with right-hander Zac Gallen. He had caught each of Gallen’s previous 11 starts.

The Diamondbacks adjusted their lineup after the change, putting Moreno in the fifth spot, one spot higher than where McCann was going to hit.

Diamondbacks at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m., Cox, Ch. 34

Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (9-13, 5.13) vs. Dodgers LHP Blake Snell (3-2, 1.97).

At Dodger Stadium: Gallen has made four quality starts (six innings, three or fewer earned runs allowed) over his past five games. He allowed a run on four hits with seven strikeouts in his last start Aug. 24 against the Reds in a no-decision. Gallen has given up just one home run in his past three starts against the Dodgers, though he took the loss against them on May 11 in L.A. … Snell looks strong since coming off the injured list, and just came off the paternity list this week. Before his return in July, Snell spent almost the entire season on the IL with shoulder inflammation. He is 5-2 with a 1.99 earned run average in 10 career starts against Arizona.

Coming up

Aug. 30: At Los Angeles, 6:10 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (5-8, 5.67) vs. Dodgers RHP Tyler Glasnow (1-2, 3.36).

Aug. 31: At Los Angeles, 1:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (12-8, 5.24) vs. Dodgers RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (11-8, 2.90).

Sept. 1: At Chase Field, 5:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (7-3, 3.53) vs. Rangers LHP Patrick Corbin (7-9, 4.33).

What to know about the Dodgers

Los Angeles had been atop the National League West all season, but recently swapped spots with the second-place San Diego Padres before finding their footing. As of Thursday, Aug. 28, the Dodgers had a two-game lead in the division. Their six-man starting rotation is healthy, which includes do-it-all star Shohei Ohtani, All-Star Yoshinobu Yamamoto, former Cy Young Award winners Blake Snell and Clayton Kershaw, and Tyler Glasnow, a quality right-hander for years. The lineup isn’t at full strength without Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, but Ohtani, Will Smith, Freddie Freeman and Andy Pages have hit well all season. The Dodgers have won four in a row going into their series against the Diamondbacks.

— Jose Romero

(This story has been updated to add new information.)