Diamondbacks at Dodgers updates. Hazen on options in hunt for 1B help

Jul 10, 2026 - 23:55

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LOS ANGELES — Having moved on from Pavin Smith, whom the Diamondbacks officially designated for assignment on Friday afternoon, July 10, general manager Mike Hazen said he is on the lookout for help at first base, though he did not sound as if he expected anything to come together in the immediate future.

“I’m at the mercy of the market in some of those cases,” Hazen said. “I can’t really tell. At this point, given the amount of teams in the playoff races on both sides, I can’t see the trade market heating up before the end of the month.”

Hazen said he is looking into any type of potential fit — rentals, multiyear big leaguers, even younger players.

“We’re exploring all those things,” he said. “We are having all those conversations. But I have no idea where anything can land.”

How their pursuit of a first baseman is impacted by their overall direction at the deadline remains to be seen. At 46-47 entering their July 10 game here against the Dodgers, the Diamondbacks were 5 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot. They were tied with the San Diego Padres and would need to clear four other teams to be in playoff position.

“The pitching injuries have thrown a little bit more of what we’re looking at in flux overall,” Hazen said. “The push that we need to firmly be in place to push in (be buyers) — we need to play better, more consistent baseball. That’s also in front of us, too. That expectation is there.

"The bottom part of the wild-card standings are moving further north, so we need to match that pace if not improve upon it.”

The decision to potentially part ways with Smith leaves the Diamondbacks with Ildemaro Vargas and Tim Tawa as their primary options at first base. Hazen did not rule out the possibility of Triple-A Reno options such as Tyler Locklear and Manuel Pena forcing their way into the conversation with continued production at that level.

Another possibility could be if LuJames Groover follows the path of rookie outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt, who was recalled on Friday to take Smith’s spot on the roster. Waldschmidt, who was sent down last month, went back to Reno and swung the bat well enough to warrant another big-league opportunity.

The Diamondbacks pulled the plug on Smith after just 89 plate appearances, roughly the equivalent of only 20 or so games of regular action, and Hazen noted Smith’s health issues this season complicated the evaluation. That said, the production was abysmal — Smith was hitting .141/.236/.192 with only two extra-base hits — and Hazen said the overall struggles of his offense left him in a position in which he did not feel he could be any more patient.

“Our offense, we’re going to keep trying to make adjustments to get it going,” Hazen said. “It’s not one person, it’s not only player — we’re multiple players away from getting the offense back to where we want it. We can’t just sit content with how this is going.”

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

Diamondbacks LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (7-3, 2.25) vs. Dodgers RHP Kyle Hurt (3-1, 4.55).

At Dodger Stadium: Rodriguez gave up two runs in six innings against the Brewers in his most recent outing, his fourth consecutive quality start. … His 2.25 ERA is the third-best mark in the majors, trailing only RHP Jacob Misiorowski (1.62) and RHP Cam Schlittler (2.01). … In two starts against the Dodgers this season, Rodriguez has allowed just two runs (one earned) in 11 innings with three walks and eight strikeouts. … This was supposed to be RHP Shohei Ohtani's night to pitch but he was scratched due to a knee issue. He will continue to serve as the designated hitter through this weekend but will skip next week's All-Star Game as he receives treatment on his knee. ... Hurt has spent the season in the Dodgers' bullpen pitching in short relief. He had a 1.00 ERA through the end of May but has had several rough outings since. Over the past five weeks, he has allowed 13 runs in 11 2/3 innings. ... The Dodgers could have to use most of their bullpen to get through this game.