Pavin Smith Fantasy Stats

Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Pavin Smith (elbow) is back in the starting lineup after taking batting practice for Friday's contest on the road against the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers and right-hander Emmet Sheehan, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. Smith will serve as the team's designated hitter and will bat fifth after he missed the Opening Day loss on Thursday due to elbow soreness. An MRI exam on the 30-year-old left-handed hitter came back negative, allowing him to return to action. Smith is entering his seventh MLB season and has only had double-digit home runs once, back in 2021, when he had 11 homers and 49 RBI in 145 games played. That year was also the only time in six seasons that Smith has played in over 100 games. In 2026, he will compete for playing time between first base and designated hitter, and he's likely to continue to sit against lefties, which will keep his fantasy ceiling limited. Smith has never faced Sheehan in his MLB career.

Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Pavin Smith (elbow) has been scratched from the Opening Day lineup on Thursday evening against the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers due to left-elbow soreness, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. The Diamondbacks don't believe that Smith's elbow injury is serious, so he could be right back in the lineup on Friday night in L.A. Tim Tawa will make the start at designated hitter in place of Smith for the Snakes versus Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Smith has earned regular at-bats in Arizona between first base and designated hitter after hitting .262/.357/.475 with an .832 OPS, 17 home runs, 64 RBI, and 62 runs scored in 147 games and 446 plate appearances over the last two seasons. However, he had a career-high 31.9% strikeout rate in 2025 and has just a .597 career OPS against left-handed pitchers. It's a limited fantasy ceiling for Smith. UPDATE: Smith will have an MRI exam on his left elbow on Friday.

Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Pavin Smith (forearm) is at first base and is batting third for Thursday's Cactus League game against the Chicago White Sox. Smith is back after missing some time with a minor forearm injury, so he'll be ready to go for Opening Day a week from now. The 30-year-old left-handed hitter is expected to be on the strong side of a platoon between first base and designated hitter for the Snakes in 2026. The former seventh overall pick in 2017 out of the University of Virginia hit .258/.362/.434 with a .797 OPS, eight home runs, 28 RBI, 36 runs scored, and two steals in 87 games played in 2025 in his sixth year with the D-backs. Smith played in only eight games after July 5 due to two injuries in the second half of the season. He has decent power from the left side, but his high strikeout rate and limited playing time limit his fantasy appeal to a late-round bench stash in deep-mixed leagues.

Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Pavin Smith (forearm) was scratched from Friday's lineup with left forearm tightness. Manager Torey Lovullo said that Smith will be shut down for a couple of days, but he won't require any imaging, and he should return to the lineup by Wednesday. The 30-year-old is looking to take on a bigger role in 2026 after he posted a solid .258/.362/.434 slash line with 123 wRC+ last year. Unfortunately, his defense is significantly below average, so he's essentially cornered into playing designated hitter and earning some first base reps when Carlos Santana isn't in the lineup. Specifically, we expect Smith to start against right-handed pitchers, while he sits out most games against southpaws. Since he could be headed for fewer than 100 games once again this year, he ranks all the way down at #56 among first basemen in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings.

According to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com, Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Pavin Smith is expected to play primarily at first base in the upcoming season. In 2025, Smith drew 36 starts at first base while seeing a much higher 47 starts at the DH spot. In 2024, Smith spent most of his time in the outfield, but now appears to be moving to first base for the foreseeable future. Last summer, the 30-year-old was typically deployed on the strong side of a platoon and held a .258/.362/.434 slash line with eight home runs and two stolen bases. However, he generated a strong 46.1% hard-hit rate with an 11.7% barrel rate, suggesting he could see some positive regression in the power department. With Carlos Santana joining the Diamondbacks, managers should expect Smith to continue to operate as a platoon bat and hold solid streaming upside in deeper leagues.

Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Pavin Smith may be in danger of losing an everyday role. According to reports by Douglas Santo of ArizonaSports.com, the Diamondbacks have shown serious interest in acquiring another first baseman on the free agent market. They have been linked to free agents Carlos Santana and Paul Goldschmidt. If the team were to sign any of them, this would likely push Smith to a platoon role. Last summer, Smith played in 87 games and showed solid upside, posting a .258/.362/.434 line with a .796 OPS. He hit 17 doubles and added eight long balls. Under the hood, Smith generated an above average 11.7% barrel rate with a 46.1% hard-hit rate while drawing walks at an elite 14.2% rate. Smith carries solid upside as a late-round corner infielder given his projected role. However, if the Diamondbacks were to add a veteran option, Smith would fall into a streaming territory given his likely role as a platoon bat.

Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman/designated hitter Pavin Smith (quadriceps) is likely to miss the rest of the season, manager Torey Lovullo said. Smith went on the 10-day injured list on Aug. 28 with a strained left quadriceps, and with the D-backs' season nearing an end, it doesn't appear he'll have enough time to make it back. The 29-year-old, who also missed time earlier this season with an oblique strain, has played in 87 games and slashed .258/.362/.434 with eight homers, 28 RBI, and 36 runs scored over 288 plate appearances. Rookie Tyler Locklear, acquired from the Seattle Mariners last month in the Josh Naylor trade, has gotten the start at first base in three straight games since Smith suffered his injury.

Arizona Diamonbacks first baseman Pavin Smith (quadriceps) is likely to land on the 10-day injured list after being pulled from Wednesday's game early against the Milwaukee Brewers with tightness in his left quadriceps muscle, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. Smith is heading back to Phoenix for imaging, and the D-backs will likely make a roster move when they get to Los Angeles on Friday for the start of a weekend series against the division-rival Dodgers. The 29-year-old left-handed hitter was not in the starting lineup for Thursday's series finale in Milwaukee, with Tyler Locklear making the start at the cold corner. Locklear, who was acquired from the Mariners in July in the trade that sent Josh Naylor to Seattle, should see most of the starts at first with Smith out. Smith has hit .258 (63-for-244) with eight homers, 28 RBI and 36 runs scored for the Snakes in 2025.

Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman/designated hitter Pavin Smith (quadriceps) is out of the lineup on Thursday against Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Jose Quintana. Tyler Locklear will play first base and hit seventh, while Ildemaro Vargas will DH and bat ninth. It's no surprise that Smith is sitting after he departed the Diamondbacks' 3-2 win over the Brewers on Wednesday with tightness in his left quadriceps. Furthermore, Smith has only gone 3-for-18 with no extra-base hits or RBI against lefties this year, so he may not have played Thursday even if fully healthy. It's unclear if Smith will be ready to return on Friday when the Diamondbacks are scheduled to face another southpaw, the Los Angeles Dodgers' Blake Snell.

Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman/designated hitter Pavin Smith (quadriceps) exited a 3-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday with tightness in his left quadriceps. Smith went 2-for-3 with two singles and a strikeout before the Diamondbacks subbed in Tyler Locklear to pinch run for him in the top of the seventh inning. It was just Smith's eighth game back since he missed about a month and a half with a strained right oblique. The 29-year-old has played in 87 games this season and slashed .258/.362/.434 with eight homers, 28 RBI, and 36 runs scored in 288 plate appearances. If Smith has to miss more time, Locklear would likely step in at first base.