PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks will operate with Jordan Lawlar as a designated hitter moving forward after he’s had trouble defensively, manager Torey Lovullo said on Sunday.

With one week of games remaining and the Diamondbacks battling to stay alive in the National League Wild Card picture, there is no room for error. The Diamondbacks will be very conscious of their defensive alignment.

Lawlar has hit pretty well since snapping his scoreless streak, hitting .333 with six doubles and two steals in his last 11 games. He has also committed four errors in his last two starts on defense.

“I’m saying that out loud and I feel comfortable saying that because we’ve gotten down to the studs on his foundation and we gotta get things built back up,” Lovullo said before a series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies.

“He understands that. … I want him to be as good as everybody has been telling me he possibly could be. But this is real stuff. This is big boy stuff here.”

Sunday’s lineup is indicative of that, with Lawlar as the DH against Phillies left-handed starter Ranger Suarez, Blaze Alexander at third base, Jorge Barrosa in center field and Tim Tawa in left.

The Diamondbacks previous tried lineups with Alexander moving to center field against lefties and Lawlar starting at third base for the optimal lineup offensively, but the strategy has changed.

“I think for right now starting against lefties,” Lovullo said. “He’ll get righty at-bats, too. If they pop a right in there early, I’ll probably leave him in the game. He’s a really nice piece to this puzzle. He can do a lot of things. He’s very dynamic, but when push comes to shove, I feel like there’s a left-right matchup between he and (Adrian) Del Castillo that I could favor.”

Torey Lovullo expects Jordan Lawlar to exclusively be a designated hitter while the Diamondbacks are battling for a playoff spot. pic.twitter.com/hO4ExJ2oc4

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) September 21, 2025

Could Gabriel Moreno play every day with new strategy?

Speaking of using the DH spot, catcher Gabriel Moreno has been in the lineup for nine of 10 games, including Sunday, as the Diamondbacks have managed to keep him in there even when an off day from catching is needed.

James McCann has proven to be a valuable backup catcher worthy of starting games regularly, and starting backstops usually get a day off during a given series, anyway.

Moreno has been terrific offensively since coming back from a broken finger. He is hitting .316 with a .921 OPS in 23 games since then and has taken over the cleanup spot.

So, to keep that bat in the lineup, the Diamondbacks have started him at DH when McCann catches.

Could that be a way to maximize him over an extended period next season?

“You want your best players to play the most,” Lovullo said. “Is it sustainable for him to catch 125 games and then DH the remaining say 30 something? I don’t know that. That might be a lot for him, so we will play it out, but I do want the best players to play the most, and he’s definitely in that category.”

Austin Pope receives the call

Diamondbacks relief prospect Austin Pope was called into the office at Triple-A Reno and was told other pitchers on the 40-man roster needed the remaining innings with the Triple-A season winding down.

Pope’s goal this season was to hit 30 innings after coming back from knee surgery, and he was at 29.1.

That’s when the rope-a-dope happened, and Pope was told he would get to 30 in the major leagues.

“I had a flight booked for New York,” the northeast native said. “I’m pumped to be here. … I called everyone. I had to wake them up. They were all sleeping back in New York.

“I had (pitching coach Jeff Bajenaru) video tape them. It was funny, after every single phone call that I ended, (Bajenaru) was like, ‘Your family is so New York.’”

Pope said his parents jumped on the first flight from New York to Phoenix on Sunday to be present for his upcoming MLB debut.