Diamondbacks decide to demote 2023 playoff hero

Feb 13, 2019; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks logo is seen during the first day of spring training workouts at Salt River Fields. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher/The Republic via USA TODAY NETWORK

With the NL West lead now suddenly within striking distance, the Arizona Diamondbacks do not have any time for nostalgia.

The Dbacks announced Wednesday that they have sent outfielder Alek Thomas down to Triple-A Reno. They are calling up shortstop Blaze Alexander in a corresponding move.

Thomas, 24, was a hero for Arizona last year as they made their surprise run to the World Series as an 84-win Wild Card team. He had four home runs in the postseason, including a massive game-tying blast as a late-game pinch hitter in Game 4 of the NLCS.

But Thomas, who also got a dose of karma when the Dbacks went on to lose in the World Series , had been struggling badly throughout the 2024 season. The lefty hitter was down to a sub-Mendoza .191 batting average this year, including a brutal .150 in the month of August.

The good news for Arizona is that they are doing very well as a team lately, winning their last six games in a row to pull to within three games of the Los Angeles Dodgers atop their division. As the Dbacks mount their final push over this last month-and-a-half of the season, they will likely turn to Jake McCarthy (batting .311 this year) as their starting center fielder instead.

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