Thomas enters spring training listed second on Arizona's depth chart in center field.
Jake McCarthy, who was in Thomas' shoes at the start of camp in 2024, is listed as the starting center fielder and deserves to be. Thomas suffered through an injury marred season and barely hit when healthy (.603 OPS). Meanwhile, McCarthy was a competent fill-in during the first half and eventually exploded in July/August (.878 OPS). The Diamondbacks don't lose much in the way of defense with McCarthy -- though Thomas is clearly the best outfield defender on the team -- and the former's bat has been an asset in addition to his work on the basepaths (74 steals from 2022 to 2024). Thomas hit the ball hard last year, but a lot of it was on the ground. If the 24-year-old shows improvement at the plate during spring training, that could force a decision for manager Torey Lovullo.