The Dodgers picked up speedy outfielder Alek Thomas in a trade with division rival Arizona on May 12. Thomas, who spent parts of the last five years in the D-Backs’ outfield, found a new home just days after he was DFA’d by his now-former team.
A Look at Thomas
Arizona made Alek Thomas a second-round pick in 2018, and it didn’t take long for him to establish himself as a high-end prospect in the system.
Thomas broke out in the Arizona Minor League system after the resumption of MiLB action in 2021, thanks to a 313/.394/.559 slash line with 18 home runs over three levels. Armed with speed and the ability to drive the ball, Thomas put himself in a prime position to be called up for 2022. And that ultimately did happen, as he played 113 games and hit eight home runs that campaign.
His potential looked very promising in 2023, as Thomas hit four home runs in the playoffs for Arizona and played a key role on the team’s NL pennant-winning team. Unfortunately, that was his high-water mark with Arizona.
A hamstring strain limited him in 2024, and Thomas hit just nine home runs in 2025.
However, things have not been particularly good for Thomas in 2026, as he slashed .181/.222/.340 with two home runs and 11 extra-base hits over 28 contests. Arizona designated him for assignment in May to make room on the 40-man roster for Ryan Waldschmidt.
From a tools standpoint, Thomas is a fascinating player. Very good runner who has been anywhere between an average and above-average defender, as far as Outs Above Average is concerned. And while he’s never hit more than nine home runs in an MLB season, there’s been double-digit potential there.
Thomas has traditionally been the type of hitter who likes to attack and expand out of the zone. But that’s been too much of a problem in 2026, particularly on fastballs outside of the zone.
Naturally, that led to a very low BB% rate. His 3% walk rate was the ninth-lowest in the Majors among hitters with at least 90 plate appearances this season. However, not a ton of strikeouts (23%).
In return, the Dodgers sent over 17-year-old outfield prospect Jose Requena to Arizona. Requena signed with the Dodgers as an international amateur free agent this past January.
Thomas was assigned to the ACL after the trade.
Analysis
The Diamondbacks get a player back for someone who the team was going to lose anyway. As for the Dodgers, Los Angeles added more outfield depth to what is a very strong team on paper.
Los Angeles made somewhat of a similar move last year. Last April, the Dodgers picked up outfielder Esteury Ruiz in a depth move from the Athletics. Ruiz barely saw any playing time in LA before he shipped off to Miami — but more depth doesn’t hurt.
Especially, when taking into account that Thomas can play a good center field, not easy to come by. He’s likely not going to see any significant time unless injuries arise to what is a deep outfield on paper, between Teoscar Hernandez, Andy Pages, and Kyle Tucker (Alex Call is a platoon hitter).
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