For the first time since the end of March, the Arizona Diamondbacks are getting their injury-riddled first baseman back.
The Diamondbacks announced on Monday that they're reinstating first baseman Pavin Smith from the 60-day injured list and are optioning Tim Tawa to Triple-A Reno. Arizona additionally transferred fellow first baseman Carlos Santana to the 60-day IL with a strained right adductor as another corresponding move.
Smith played in just the first two games of this season before he was initially placed on the 10-day IL with left elbow inflammation. Arizona later transferred Smith to the 60-day IL in mid-April to undergo surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow.
Injuries have plagued Smith over the past couple of seasons after he showed so much promise at the outset of his big league career. The former seventh-round draft pick was limited to just 87 games last year when a strained right oblique sidelined Smith from July 6 to August 18th.
Smith has also only played 100 or more games once in his seven-year career, playing 145 games in 2021.
Despite returning from the aforementioned oblique injury, the 30-year-old landed back on the shelf less than two weeks later due to a strained left quadriceps, which ended his season. During those 87 games in 2025, Smith slashed .258/.362/.434 with eight home runs, 28 RBI and two stolen bases.
Smith will now rejoin a D-backs team that enters Monday having been swept by the Seattle Mariners over the weekend. However, they are still in third place in the NL West at 31-27 and return home to the desert tonight to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers, with Smith expected to be available.
As for Santana, the 40-year-old inked a one-year, $2 million deal with the Diamondbacks in the offseason. He's been on the IL since April 7 and has appeared in just eight games, going just 2-for-24 (.083) at the plate with eight strikeouts.
