Daulton Varsho shifts back into Arizona Diamondbacks’ suddenly crowded outfield

PHILADELPHIA — Catcher Carson Kelly’s return from the injured list on Saturday prompted the Diamondbacks to shift Daulton Varsho back to the outfield. Though the exact position Varsho plays and how manager Torey Lovullo finds at-bats for everyone in his crowded outfield remains to be seen.

When Kelly went down five weeks ago with an oblique strain, it opened up a spot for the club to promote outfield prospect Alek Thomas. Through 30 games entering Saturday, Thomas had more than held his own, putting together a solid .760 OPS while playing good defensively in center field.

Thomas, one of the club’s most well-regarded prospects, will continue to see regular at-bats, Lovullo said, as will Varsho, who will play the outfield while getting only occasional starts behind the plate.

Varsho served as the designated hitter on Saturday, but Lovullo was not sure who would play where when both Varsho and Thomas are in the outfield together. Thomas is regarded as the organization’s best defender in center, but he also has experience moving between all three outfield positions.

“All I know is we’ve got a really good situation,” Lovullo said. “We’ve got a lot of good, young outfielders who are chasing down baseballs out there. Not a lot is going to drop in the outfield.”

He compared it to his time in Boston, when the Red Sox had Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. playing side by side in the outfield.

“It was unbelievable watching two center fielders play center and right,” Lovullo said. “They didn’t care (where they played). I think that’ll be the way we try to shape it here.”

Lovullo said he would like to have set positions for both, but he wasn’t sure it would work out that way in reality. In addition to Varsho and Thomas, the Diamondbacks’ active roster also includes four other outfielders: David Peralta, Pavin Smith, Jordan Luplow and Jake McCarthy.

Lovullo said finding regular at-bats for all six “might be a little bit of a challenge,” though the designated hitter does provide Lovullo another way to dole out at-bats.

Given that both are viewed as big parts of the organization’s future — and that both have performed well this season — it would stand to reason that Varsho and Thomas will be the closest thing to everyday players among the group.

Growing pains: D-Backs young players learning on the job

Confidence men

Kelly rejoins the team following a successful rehab stint with Triple-A Reno, for whom he hit .353 (6 for 17) with two homers, four walks, and only one strikeout. When he got hurt last month, his confidence was down after a brutal start to the season. He said Saturday he was in a better place.

“I think it was good to get down there and work on some things,” Kelly said. “Go to Reno, have some at-bats, get some confidence there. I’m going to continue to take what I did down there and bring it up here.”

Exciting news: Diamondbacks prospect Jordan Lawlar expected back in action soon

At the same time, right-hander Luke Weaver arrived in Philadelphia and was added to the taxi squad, a move seemingly made in advance of Sunday, when he is expected to be added to the active roster to provide bulk innings in relief. Weaver had been out since early April due to an elbow strain.

Weaver said he made adjustments to his delivery and was thrilled with the way he had been throwing, giving up two runs in six innings with two walks and five strikeouts on his rehab assignment with Reno.

He said he is standing taller in his delivery and “trying to use less body and to use more arm and try to let that flow and be natural.” He added, “Basically trying to have less effort create more effort, if that makes sense.”

He said the changes in his delivery were aimed mostly to try to keep his arm healthy. They have also helped him, he said, in finding consistency with his curveball and cutter.

Read more: Pitching matchups for Diamondbacks-Phillies series

Short hops

To make room for Kelly, the club optioned outfielder Cooper Hummel to Reno. Hummel hit .178/.308/.317 in 121 plate appearances. His role had begun to diminish in recent weeks; he started only three times since returning from the COVID-19 injured list on May 26.

The Diamondbacks will start left-hander Kyle Nelson in Sunday’s series finale, putting the ball in the hands of a reliever in hopes of trying to neutralize Phillies sluggers Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, a pair of lefties who hit near the top of the order. Nelson will be pitching as an opener and likely will not be able to go more than an inning or two into the game. Weaver likely will enter at some point to pitch multiple innings; he was built up to four innings and 60 pitches in his most recent rehab start.

Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or nick.piecoro@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Daulton Varsho shifts back into Diamondbacks’ suddenly crowded outfield