Dbacks recap and notes

Carroll went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a loss to the Pirates on Thursday.

Carroll gave the Diamondbacks their first and only lead with a 406-foot solo blast in the third inning. He added a single to notch his first multi-hit game since April 30. Carroll had been enduring a cold May, going just 1-for-19 through his first five games of the month. He’ll look to use Thursday’s performance as a starting point for a turnaround.

Gallen (1-3) took the loss against Pittsburgh on Thursday, pitching six innings during which he gave up four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five batters.

Gallen served up a solo homer to the second batter he faced in the game but was able to make it through four frames with just that one run on his ledger. However, the veteran struggled late in his outing, allowing four straight batters to reach with two outs in the fifth frame to yield two runs before giving up another run on a solo homer in the sixth. Gallen was at least better than in his previous start, when he gave up six runs over 3.2 innings against the Cubs, but he’s now at a mediocre 4.70 ERA with just one victory through eight starts on the season.

Waldschmidt (head) has returned to the lineup Thursday with Triple-A Reno, Alex D’Agostino of SI.com reports.

Waldschmidt was absent from Wednesday’s lineup after being hit in the helmet by a pitch Tuesday against Sacramento, but he’s now back to full health. He’ll look to get back on track after batting .105 with two doubles, two RBI, five runs scored and two stolen bases over 19 at-bats in his last five contests prior to taking the blow to the head.

Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said Thursday there are no plans to take playing time away from Vargas when Carlos Santana (thigh) is ready to be activated, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Gilbert reports that Santana could rejoin the Diamondbacks as early as Friday, but there may not be a path to regular at-bats for the 39-year-old, who batted .083 over eight games at the time of his injury. Vargas as filled in at first base and has been an offensive juggernaut for Arizona, compiling a .364/.386/.627 slash line while topping the team with six home runs and 22 RBI.

Santana (thigh) could rejoin the Diamondbacks on Friday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Santana is currently on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Reno and played a third consecutive day at first base Thursday. Finding room on the roster should not be an issue, as Arizona has a few players with minor league options. Finding playing time will be more difficult. Ildemaro Vargas, who had a 24-game hit streak to open the season, has filled in at first base, and manager Torey Lovullo said there are no plans to take playing time away from him. DH is an obvious option, but Jose Fernandez and Adrian Del Castillo are producing.