Pavin Smith’s time in Arizona has come to an end. The Arizona Republic‘s Nick Piecoro reports that the former first-rounder has been designated for assignment. Top prospect Ryan Waldschmidt has been recalled from Triple-A Reno to take his place.
Thus ends the tenure of Smith, who Arizona selected seventh overall in the 2017 MLB Draft. On the season, the left-handed-hitting first baseman was hitting .141 with a .428 OPS.
He’ll leave the Diamondbacks with a career .241/.325/.394 slash line over 1,629 plate appearances. The club will have five days to either trade, release, or outright Smith. Most likely, Arizona will try to pass him through outright waivers and get him to Triple-A Reno.
With the move, Arizona now has 39 players on its 40-man roster.
Pavin Smith DFA’d After Tough Stretch
Outside of a two-month stretch between September 2024 and April 2025, Smith struggled to consistently hit MLB pitching in his career. The hot month to close 2024, which included a three-homer game against the Houston Astros, convinced Arizona to keep him over Joc Pederson as their strong-side platoon option at designated hitter.
The move looked great after one month. Smith hit .383 with four home runs and a 1.233 OPS in his first 23 games of the season. Since then, he’s hitting just .195 with a .585 OPS and a strikeout rate just below 30%.
Injuries have played a role over that stretch. Smith has dealt with oblique, quad, and elbow injuries. He missed two months this season after needing surgery to remove bone chips in his left elbow.
His struggles to hit resulted in the team taking a flyer on Max Kepler. Kepler will now get a more prominent role in the lineup with Smith in DFA limbo.
Smith’s struggles have directly impacted the club’s plans for the trade deadline. General manager Mike Hazen outlined left-handed power as one of his two key needs, but it’s hard to envision the club being buyers without a big run after the All-Star break.
After splitting their series against the Padres, the Diamondbacks are 46-47. They are 5.5 games back in the Wild Card, and FanGraphs gives them a 14.7% chance of reaching the postseason.
Diamondbacks First Base Options
First base now becomes a key need after the 2026 season. The team has some options they could evaluate down the stretch.
One is Max Kepler, to serve in Smith’s intended role. Arizona loses nothing by trying out Kepler at first base, freeing up an outfield spot for Ryan Waldschmidt to play regularly.
The Diamondbacks could deploy a platoon of Kepler and veteran infielder Ildemaro Vargas at the position while they re-evaluate their position at the deadline.
If Arizona has to punt on the season, then they should take a bigger look at either LuJames Groover III or Manuel Pena. Groover would be the more immediate option, as his clock has already started. But concerns about his power ceiling make him a tough long-term first base projection.
Pena is slashing .316/.359/.628 with 28 home runs between Amarillo and Reno. He is tied with St. Louis Cardinals prospect Joshua Baez for the minor league’s home run lead. He’s played roughly 17 games with Arizona’s top minor league affiliate in Reno.
The 22-year-old has emerged as a sleeper prospect in the Diamondbacks system. He’ll be added to Arizona’s 40-man roster no later than November, so they could give him a late-season run.
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