What is the Real Plan With Jordan Lawlar?

Since being called up, Jordan Lawlar’s return to the bigs has been, well, rocky—and not the Coors Field kind. He’s logged just 10 at-bats, has yet to record a hit, and has struck out in seven of those chances. That’s not how you draw it up for your No. 6 overall pick, and yeah, that falls on Lawlar. He’s got to hit. Period.

But let’s not pretend he’s been set up for success either.

The plan—at least what Torey Lovullo said publicly—was that Lawlar would get around four starts a week to settle in and adjust to big-league pitching. That hasn’t even come close to happening. Instead, his usage has been erratic at best, and when he does play, he’s facing some of the nastiest arms in the league.

Case in point: a recent series against the Rockies, a team whose pitching staff has looked more like a Triple-A unit lately. A perfect opportunity to let Lawlar build some confidence, right? Nope. He was left on the bench. Then he’s tossed in against some frontline starters or late-inning flamethrowers and expected to “earn” more playing time based on those matchups. That’s not development—it’s trial by fire with no water in sight.

Again, Lawlar’s got to hit. We all know that. But giving him regular reps—especially against a mix of pitching—would do wonders for his timing, rhythm, and confidence. What we’re doing now is neither here nor there. It’s not a true developmental plan, and it’s definitely not giving us the best chance to evaluate what we actually have in him.

And look—I don’t know if Torey just doesn’t trust him yet or what—but fans aren’t the only ones asking questions. Media, scouts, online chatter—it’s all there. Everyone’s wondering what the actual plan is. It’s hard to see the logic right now.

Compare it to Tim Tawa, who’s made the most of his opportunity. He’s done the little things—hustle, defense, situational at-bats—but let’s not act like he’s tearing the cover off the ball. He’s had some nice moments, sure, but he’s also benefited from some bloop hits and infield singles. The key difference? He’s getting a real chance to figure it out. He’s not being yanked after a strikeout or left out of the lineup against beatable arms.

I like both of these guys. Lawlar and Tawa should both be part of the youth movement. But that only works if you give them the consistency to learn, fail, adjust, and grow. Right now, Lawlar’s being asked to prove himself without ever being given a fair shot to do so.

And while we’re here—can we talk about the bullpen? Even with Justin Martinez coming back, we’re still coughing up leads like it's a team policy. Whether it’s walks, blown saves, or flat-out meltdowns, we’re handing away wins way too often. The offense is showing life, the rotation’s mostly holding up, and yet we’re letting games slip late far too consistently.

Bottom line: if this team is serious about building something sustainable, then we’ve got to be better at developing talent and locking down games. Lawlar deserves a real shot, not token at-bats. And fans deserve a bullpen that doesn’t feel like a roulette wheel every night.

Let’s figure it out.