The Arizona Diamondbacks designated third baseman Emmanuel Rivera for assignment hours before Thursday’s season-opening game against the Colorado Rockies.
The move was reportedly made to open the final spot on the 26-man roster for infielder Blaze Alexander, who batted .400 with two homers and eight RBIs during 55 spring training at-bats.
Rivera shared third-base duties with veteran Evan Longoria last season as the Diamondbacks advanced to the World Series before losing to the Texas Rangers in five games. In the offseason, Arizona acquired Eugenio Suarez from the Seattle Mariners to man the hot corner.
Rivera, 27, batted .261 with four homers and 29 RBIs in 86 games last season. He hit .235 with three RBIs in 13 postseason games.
Overall, Rivera is batting .247 with 17 homers and 74 RBIs in 217 games over three seasons with the Kansas City Royals (2021-22) and Diamondbacks (2022-23).
Arizona now must trade Rivera, put him through outright waivers or release him. He is out of minor league options.
Alexander, 24, will make his major league debut whenever he gets into a game. He is primarily a shortstop but also plays second base and third base.
Alexander batted .292 with eight homers and 52 RBIs in 73 games at Triple-A Reno last season. He missed two months after fracturing his right thumb in April.
Arizona signed veteran Elvis Andrus on March 3 in its search for a backup infielder but released him less than three weeks later with Alexander enjoying a torrid spring.
