And then, when Lourdes Gurriel Jr. went down with a hamstring injury<\/a>, Arizona called up No. 4 prospect Tommy Troy. Troy and Waldschmidt populated the same outfield for some time, but when Gurriel made his return, the D-backs had to make a choice between Waldschmidt and Troy. <\/p>\n Despite the hype surrounding Waldschmidt and the productive numbers he posted initially, Arizona opted to keep Troy on the major league roster and option Waldschmidt to Triple-A.<\/p>\n That move was surprising, even considering Waldschmidt had been hitting .211 in the month of June .211, and had seen his OPS fall to .671 by June 13<\/a>. Troy was not producing at any higher of a clip, with a .222\/.323\/.315 slash line at the time of Waldschmidt’s option. \t<\/p>\n And yet, after that decision was made, both players have seemed to lean into their situation with success. Sometimes, a move that might have seemed counter-intuitive can be best for both parties.<\/p>\n Diamondbacks getting good results after Troy-Waldschmidt decision Jun 13, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt (15) at bat in the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Since the move, Troy has slid into more of an everyday role, playing left and center field and getting regular at-bats. After June 15, the date of Waldschmidt’s option, Troy has hit .308\/.357\/.538<\/a> with a double, triple, home run and .896 OPS. <\/p>\n For his full (short) season thus far, Troy has not quite hit for average, but he’s displayed a bit more power than might have been expected coming out of Triple-A. He’s got a .730 OPS in total, but is slugging .407 with three homers. Waldschmidt has yet to leave the yard at the MLB level.<\/p>\n Troy has had some ups and downs defensively, but has enough athleticism and instinct to be a solid defensive outfielder. Waldschmidt is the stronger defender, but was striking out at a 32.8% clip and struggling to make solid contact. Clearly, Waldschmidt needed some more development time. <\/p>\n And since being sent down, Waldschmidt has exploded at the Triple-A level \u2014 exactly what the Diamondbacks wanted to see out of the 23-year-old<\/a>. He’s hitting 12-for-35 (.342) since returning to Reno with seven doubles, three home runs and an even 8:8 strikeout-to-walk ratio. <\/p>\n He’s hitting .301\/.417\/.521 on the year in Triple-A, which is a notable increase from his .289\/.400\/.477 slash at the time of his initial call-up. <\/p>\n Which leads to the obvious question.<\/p>\n Is it time to bring Ryan Waldschmidt back to MLB? May 31, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks center fielder Ryan Waldschmidt (15) advances to third during the second inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: John Froschauer-Imagn Images | John Froschauer-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Considering the offense-heavy environment present in the Pacific Coast League, the D-backs tend generally want to see their prospects truly dominating the competition beforepulling the trigger on a call-up. Waldschmidt was an above-average bat when first selected, but not to an extreme, park- and environment-adjusted level.<\/p>\n That has improved. He’s currently displaying a 127 wRC+, which is 27% above average for his environment. <\/p>\n Meanwhile, Gurriel has simply not been productive this season, hitting .216\/.265\/.288. His at-bats have not looked proficient, either. He has not provided the offensive spark Arizona needed. <\/p>\n Waldschmidt may still need some time, but as it stands, even his .671 OPS prior to his option would be an improvement over Gurriel’s .553 OPS in 136 plate appearances \u2014 a sample size slightly larger than Waldschmidt’s. <\/p>\n There’s still a bit of a logjam in the outfield, especially with the recent arrival of Max Kepler<\/a>. But there could be a world in which Kepler turns into the D-backs’ left-handed DH over Pavin Smith, freeing up an outfield spot to see Troy and Waldschmidt out there more regularly. <\/p>\n Waldschmidt has shown a capability to improve rapidly in his career, and there’s no way the D-backs can keep him in Triple-A for much longer. It might be time to start thinking about a return to the majors.<\/p>\n![\"Jun](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/01kw56c1zp22t8n4v4ez.jpg\" "\\"Jun")
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