Pavin Smith expected to be reinstated by Diamondbacks from 60-day IL

What happened

The Arizona Diamondbacks are expected to reinstate first baseman Pavin Smith from the 60-day injured list, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix. The corresponding active roster move, per Gambadoro's report, will be the optioning of infielder/outfielder Tim Tawa. The club will also need to open a 40-man roster spot to complete the transaction, per the report. Additional details were described as forthcoming at the time of publication.

This is a report from Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix, not a formal club announcement. The language Gambadoro used — "are going to reinstate" — reflects an expected transaction rather than a completed one, and the desk is treating it accordingly throughout.

The 60-day IL is the deepest shelf in baseball's injured list structure — a placement that removes a player from the 40-man roster count entirely, which is why the club faces the additional step of clearing a 40-man spot before the reinstatement can be finalized. That housekeeping detail is worth noting: it means Arizona has at least one more roster decision still pending beyond the Tawa optioning.

Why it matters

Smith's return adds a left-handed bat at first base to a Diamondbacks roster navigating the back half of a season with its postseason margin already gone. Arizona has been eliminated from both the NL West division race and the Wild Card race, which reframes what a move like this means operationally. This is no longer about a playoff push — it is about finishing with purpose, evaluating what the roster looks like heading into the offseason, and giving a player who has been sidelined on the 60-day IL a chance to log meaningful innings.

That context matters for how to read the Tawa side of the equation, too. Tawa, who carries positional versatility as an infielder and outfielder, is reportedly being optioned rather than designated for assignment, which means the club retains him in the organization. An option sends a player to the minors while keeping him on the 40-man roster — a quieter kind of roster management that tends to happen when a club sees future utility in a player but needs the active spot for someone returning from injury.

The numbers

Arizona enters this stretch at 86-76 (.531), sitting third in the NL West and 14 games back in the division. Their Wild Card position is ranked 4th, sitting 2.0 relative to the cut line — and as noted, they have been eliminated from that race as well. The Diamondbacks are also riding an L2 streak heading into the week.

Those standings figures are the backdrop against which every roster decision gets made right now. An 86-76 record is not a bad baseball season — it is, in fact, a winning one — but the math has closed the door on October, and the front office is now operating in a different register entirely.

Where the club stands

Arizona opens the week at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field, with Eduardo Rodriguez scheduled against Emmet Sheehan on Monday, June 1. The series continues Tuesday, June 2, with Michael Soroka opposing Eric Lauer, and closes Wednesday, June 3, with Zac Gallen drawing the assignment against Shohei Ohtani.

That is, to put it plainly, a formidable series to be welcoming a player back from the 60-day IL into. The Dodgers are the standard-bearer of the NL West, and a three-game home set against them — capped by Gallen versus Ohtani — is the kind of schedule that tests a roster's depth at every position. If Smith is indeed reinstated before this series begins, per the report, he could find himself in the lineup against some of the better pitching in the National League almost immediately.

The Gallen-Ohtani matchup on Wednesday is the marquee event of the week regardless of roster news, but the expected Smith reinstatement adds a layer of interest to how Arizona constructs its lineup across all three games.

What we don't know yet

### How will Arizona open the 40-man spot?

Per Gambadoro's report, the club will need to clear a 40-man roster spot as part of this process, but the report does not specify how. That could mean a designation for assignment, a release, a trade, or another option — none of which has been reported. Until that move is made, the reinstatement cannot be fully completed, so the precise timing of Smith's return to the active roster remains an open question.

The report also does not specify the nature of the injury that placed Smith on the 60-day IL, the duration of his absence, or whether he completed a rehab assignment before being cleared for reinstatement. Those details were not included in Gambadoro's initial report.

What to watch

The 40-man roster move is the immediate next domino. Once Arizona announces how it is clearing that spot, the full picture of this transaction will come into focus. Watch for a corresponding roster action from the club in the hours ahead.

Beyond the paperwork, Smith's role in the lineup against the Dodgers this week will be worth monitoring. A player returning from the 60-day IL is stepping back into major league competition after an extended absence, and how Arizona deploys him — whether immediately in the starting lineup or in a more measured capacity — will say something about how the club views his readiness.

Tawa's path is also worth a glance. An option keeps him in the organization and on the 40-man roster, which signals that Arizona sees him as part of the picture going forward. Whether he returns to the active roster later this season — particularly as the calendar turns and roster rules shift — is a thread worth following.

For now, the headline is straightforward: Pavin Smith is reportedly on his way back, Tim Tawa is reportedly heading to the minors, and Arizona still has one more roster move to make before the books are balanced.