{"id":626260,"date":"2026-03-16T09:33:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T09:33:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/626260\/"},"modified":"2026-03-16T09:33:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T09:33:17","slug":"arizona-diamondbacks-welcome-back-key-stars-as-world-baseball-classic-rosters-narrow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/626260\/","title":{"rendered":"Arizona Diamondbacks Welcome Back Key Stars as World Baseball Classic Rosters Narrow"},"content":{"rendered":"

AVANDATIMES.COM \u2013 The Arizona Diamondbacks<\/a> are beginning to see their spring training roster return to full strength as several key contributors rejoin the club following their exits from the World Baseball Classic<\/a>. Outfielder Alek Thomas<\/a> and right-handed pitcher Michael Soroka have already reported back to the team\u2019s facility at Salt River Fields, providing a much-needed boost to the Cactus League lineup.<\/p>\n

Managerial Relief as Roster Replenishes<\/p>\n

Manager Torey Lovullo<\/a> expressed significant satisfaction with the influx of returning talent, noting that the team\u2019s depth had been tested by recent minor league assignments and international absences. AvandaTimes observed that the atmosphere at camp shifted as familiar faces rejoined the clubhouse for the final stretch of spring preparations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nice to see these athletes,\u201d Lovullo remarked during a media session on Sunday. \u201cIt\u2019s nice to get our guys back, fill up our roster. Our roster has been depleting by the day with some of the sendouts.\u201d<\/p>\n

The manager highlighted the quality of the returning group, which includes some of the organization\u2019s most vital pieces. \u201cIt\u2019s a very refreshing list and looks very full, and it\u2019s a lot of really good names,\u201d he added. \u201cI\u2019ve missed seeing those guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arenado\u2019s Recovery and Thomas\u2019s Performance<\/p>\n

While Thomas and Soroka are already integrated back into the daily routine\u2014with Thomas slated for center field duties against the San Diego Padres\u2014third baseman Nolan Arenado is taking a more measured approach. The veteran infielder is expected to arrive in Arizona on Sunday but has requested a brief hiatus before resuming game action.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wants to get back tomorrow, just kind of decompress. The athletes that are coming back from the WBC have said the same thing to me. It\u2019s a very intense atmosphere\u2026 they need to shut it down. I\u2019m imagining it was like an instant playoff situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thomas returns to the Diamondbacks after a productive stint with Team Mexico, where he posted a .267\/.316\/.467 slash line and contributed a two-run home run. Lovullo noted that despite the tournament exit, Thomas was deeply moved by the experience. \u201cHe wished he could have done more for his team, but he said the atmosphere was as good as anything he can remember, and this is a kid that played in the World Series,\u201d the manager said.<\/p>\n

Remaining International Absences<\/p>\n

Despite the recent arrivals, the Diamondbacks are still waiting on several high-profile players who remain active in the tournament\u2019s later stages. The club\u2019s full major league roster will not be complete until the conclusion of games involving Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.<\/p>\n

Eduardo Rodriguez: Currently with Venezuela, potentially starting in the final if they advance past Italy.Ketel Marte, Geraldo Perdomo, and Carlos Santana: Representing the Dominican Republic in a high-stakes matchup against Team USA.<\/p>\n

The Diamondbacks will continue to monitor these results as they finalize their Opening Day preparations in Scottsdale.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"AVANDATIMES.COM \u2013 The Arizona Diamondbacks are beginning to see their spring training roster return to full strength as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":609660,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2404],"tags":[664,146,22,4314,5,38,4,1028,638,4820],"class_list":["post-626260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arizona-diamondbacks","tag-alek-thomas","tag-arizona","tag-arizona-diamondbacks","tag-arizonadiamondbacks","tag-baseball","tag-diamondbacks","tag-mlb","tag-nolan-arenado","tag-torey-lovullo","tag-world-baseball-classic"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116238169077245603","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/626260","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=626260"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/626260\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/609660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=626260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=626260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=626260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}