The Arizona Diamondbacks will have to get through the next ten days without their everyday catcher. The team’s official Twitter account confirmed that Carson Kelly was placed on the 10-day injured list with an oblique injury.
The D-Backs may have signaled their intention to start Daulton Varsho behind the plate in Kelly’s absence by selecting top prospect Alek Thomas’s contract from Triple-A Reno.
The #Dbacks selected outfielder Alek Thomas from the Triple-A Reno @Aces and placed catcher Carson Kelly (strained left oblique) on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 5.
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) May 8, 2022
Thomas should replace Varsho in center field, allowing the Diamondbacks to maximize their young players’ rep with Kelly out. Varsho is off to the best start of his career with a .809 on-base plus slugging percentage and is leading the team with six home runs.
The highly-touted Thomas is mashing the ball in Triple-A, posting a .495 slugging percentage with 13 of his 28 hits going for extra bases.
The Diamondbacks host the Colorado Rockies in a rubber match on Sunday afternoon. According to the betting market at FanDuel Sportsbook, the D-Backs are the team to beat, entering the contest as -156 favorites.
