Larkin removed as third-base coach after another poor send

PHOENIX -- The Diamondbacks will have a new third-base coach come Friday’s series opener against the Reds as manager Torey Lovullo announced following Wednesday’s 3-2 extra-inning win over the Guardians that Shaun Larkin would no longer continue in the role.

Larkin will maintain his spot on the coaching staff, working with the infielders.

Lovullo said he did not yet know who would take Larkin’s spot, with the team set to sort through both internal and external candidates.

Larkin served as the team’s director of player development in 2024, and after third-base/infield coach Tony Perezchica left for the Astros in the offseason, Larkin was tabbed by Lovullo to coach third base.

“We asked him to take out a lot,” Lovullo said. “He had never coached third base before at this level, and probably hadn’t done in quite some time. So, we were going to give him a little bit of a runway, but it's just got to the point where I needed to make this decision. It was very difficult.”

Larkin has come under scrutiny this year for a number of his decisions at third base. At times, runners have gotten thrown out at the plate. At others, he drew criticism for holding them.

Lovullo found himself having to answer questions in numerous postgame press conferences about decisions that Larkin made.

“He understood,” Lovullo said of Larkin’s reaction to the decision. “He knew that it was creating a lot of noise for this organization, a lot of noise for me, and he was embarrassed by that, and he takes full responsibility for that. I was really happy with how he took accountability and said, ‘Sorry I didn't do my job, and this is what happens when you don't do your job.’”

In the bottom of the fifth inning on Wednesday, James McCann hit a ball to center field that was fielded by Angel Martínez, who then stumbled to the ground. Seeing the center fielder on the ground, Larkin waved Alek Thomas around third base, but Martinez got up and made a perfect throw to shortstop Gabriel Arias, who fired a short hop to home that catcher Bo Naylor made a nice play on to tag out Thomas.

Until Lourdes Gurriel Jr. tied the game with a solo homer in the ninth, that play loomed very large, and it was during the game that Lovullo said he made the decision to remove Larkin from third-base-coaching duties.

“He's got a great nose for this game, and he works hard,” Lovullo said. “And those are all the things that I'm looking for every single day when I'm watching people work. But coaching third base is a really difficult thing at the Major League level. The ball gets reversed really fast. Infielders are quick. They try to embarrass people. And you know the fact that the center fielder’s [Martínez’s] legs were up in the air and he stands up, picks up the ball, throws a strike to Arias, who throws another strike to home plate. It was an unbelievable play, but that's what happens here.”

Lovullo said he noticed that the scrutiny had been wearing on Larkin as the season went along. While it might have eaten away at Larkin’s confidence, Lovullo said it never took away from his work with the infielders, which is why he will remain in that role.

Another factor in the decision for Lovullo was that players seemed to lose a little confidence in Larkin’s decisions.

“I see a lot,” Lovullo said. “I saw the reaction of certain guys. I'm not an idiot. I pay attention. And I pay attention to important things, things that matter most to me, that matter most to the players. So that was a little bit of my calculus, for sure.”