June 6 broadcast<\/a>.<\/p>\nLike any parent, the Groovers thought a 2 a.m. phone call from their son meant disaster. Fortunately, this call was the opposite.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy wife jumped up, came running in the room hollering,\u201d Groover II said. \u201cI jumped up and I said, \u2018What\u2019s wrong now?\u2019 She said, \u2018Gino just got called up.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The brief panic was immediately replaced with celebration.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said, \u2018You got to be kidding me,\u2019 and then he was on the phone,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said, \u2018Y\u2019all ready to come to the game?\u2019 I said, \u2018Man, we already coming to the game.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The family made the trip to Phoenix for Groover III\u2019s June 5 debut, just like they\u2019ve done every step of the way.<\/p>\n
\u201c(They) came to support me all throughout college, they\u2019ve been to Hillsboro, they\u2019ve been to Amarillo, came to Reno,\u201d Groover III said. \u201cThey came to every stop at least once and they were able to come here as well, in the biggest stage I can play on.\u201d<\/p>\n
He called it \u201ca blessing\u201d to give his parents the news, knowing how much they\u2019ve sacrificed throughout his career.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I owe just as much to them as I do for myself,\u201d Groover III said. \u201cThey deserve all the credit. Driving me to places, spending their time, money, effort, making sure I had the best equipment. They\u2019ve supported me my whole life on this journey that we\u2019ve been on.\u201d<\/p>\n
His parents were more nervous watching his MLB debut than he was playing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI might\u2019ve been a little bit nervous for him because I know how hard he worked to get to this point,\u201d his father said. \u201cI just wanted him to be successful, and come out and give the fans something that they\u2019re looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Throughout the game, Groover III was able to slow things down.<\/p>\n
\u201cTaking the field, I think I was a little nervous,\u201d he said. \u201cEverything\u2019s happening so fast, but after you get that first play out of the way, it calms down a little bit. You remember it\u2019s the same game. Just go out there and have fun, because that\u2019s what makes it worthwhile.\u201d<\/p>\n
After a wrist injury delayed his first full pro season, the Diamondbacks\u2019 No. 10 prospect spent all of 2025 in Double-A Amarillo, where he earned a selection to the MLB All-Star Futures Game in his home state of Georgia. Groover III began this season in Triple-A Reno, where he forced the club\u2019s hand to call him up.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a situation where Groove pushed his way into this opportunity,\u201d manager Torey Lovullo told reporters ahead of Groover III\u2019s debut. \u201cSometimes things happen through injury, there’s other reasons for call-ups, but this was a situation where he was really progressing on both sides of the baseball, and we felt like it was a really good opportunity to get him here and show us what he’s able to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
The situation might be the fact that Groover III reached base safely in 36 straight games from April 3 to May 17, the third-longest streak in professional baseball this season. The Diamondbacks are confident his bat-to-ball skills will translate to the major leagues.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe feel like he’s very capable of going out and stringing some real quality at-bats and games together,\u201d Lovullo said. \u201cHe’s here to get at-bats, he’s not here to sit on the bench. If that was the case, we’d still develop him in Triple-A.\u201d<\/p>\n
These skills have always been on display, going back to Groover III\u2019s college days.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first thing that stood out to me was, obviously, his ability to hit,\u201d said J.T. Jarrett, his teammate at North Carolina State in 2022. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of effortless how well and consistently he can drive the ball to all fields.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn\u2019t try to do too much. I remember always thinking that Gino\u2019s work was never overdone, it was just pretty simple and straightforward. The simplicity of it, the fundamentals of his swing, and approach, and training and practice, it speaks for itself because that\u2019s how you get a 36 game on-base streak.\u201d<\/p>\n
Groover III had a 24-game and 27-game hit streak that season alone. An incoming transfer from UNC Charlotte, he instantly became a key member of the Wolfpack on and off the field.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen everyone shows up in August, there\u2019s a decent chunk of the team that is new and have never really met each other,\u201d Jarrett said. \u201cBut with Gino, kind of instantly he\u2019s cutting up, and loud, and smiling and laughing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Groover III is making the same connections in the pros.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s my day one,\u201d outfielder Tommy Troy said.<\/p>\n
Troy was the Diamondbacks\u2019 first-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, when Groover III was the team\u2019s second-round selection. Although Troy debuted shortly before Groover III, their connection has never wavered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe both got drafted together, got really close really quickly and it\u2019s nice to see we\u2019re both working our way up together and here in the big leagues,\u201d Troy said.<\/p>\n
While Groover III has recorded just five hits through his first 31 at-bats, he has hit the ball hard 52% of the time and squared it up 37% of the time. Both metrics would be considered \u201cgreat\u201d by Baseball Savant with a qualifying number of plate appearances. He acknowledges the challenges of not seeing immediate results and knows they are just part of the process.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrying not to get frustrated as a player, you know, maybe you\u2019ve done something a certain way your whole entire life, and you\u2019ve got to make adjustments,\u201d he said. \u201cIt feels like it needs to happen so fast, you probably want it instantaneously, but development\u2019s not linear.\u201d<\/p>\n
He can feel the improvement as he reaches two weeks in the big leagues.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs you just go out there, you continue to play, you continue to get more reps under your belt, more games under your belt, more at-bats, things like that, you start to find things that work,\u201d Groover III said.<\/p>\n
Although Groover III\u2019s first career MLB hit didn\u2019t occur in his first career game, it made it more special when he got it the day after. June 6 also happens to be the birthday of his grandfather, LuJames Groover.<\/p>\n
The corner infielder is ready to make his name a staple of the lineup.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really just trying to go out there and focus on controllables,\u201d Groover III said. \u201cYou know, control the zone, swing at good pitches, hit the ball hard, things like that and let everything take care of itself as we continue to adjust.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m definitely more comfortable out there,\u201d he said. \u201cFinally get to relax a little bit and realize, \u2018OK, I belong here as well.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
This <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/2026\/06\/19\/diamondbacks-infielder-lujames-groover-mlb-call-up\/”>article<\/a> first appeared on <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org”>Cronkite News<\/a> and is republished here under a <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nd\/4.0\/”>Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License<\/a>.<img src=”https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/favicon1.png?resize=85%2C85&ssl=1″ style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”><\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCanonical Tag:<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCopy Tag\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tArticle Content:<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDiamondbacks infielder LuJames Groover determined to make the most of MLB call-up<\/p>\n
Matthew Badger, Cronkite News
\nJune 19, 2026<\/p>\n
PHOENIX \u2013 LuJames \u201cGino\u201d Groover III needed only one word to describe his first 24 hours as a Major League Baseball player:<\/p>\n
\u201cSurreal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Getting the call was the culmination of his life\u2019s work and the realization of a dream. For his family, it started out as a nightmare.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst thing I thought something was wrong, because I was in the bed asleep,\u201d his father, LuJames Groover II, said on the Diamondbacks\u2019 June 6 broadcast.<\/p>\n
Like any parent, the Groovers thought a 2 a.m. phone call from their son meant disaster. Fortunately, this call was the opposite.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy wife jumped up, came running in the room hollering,\u201d Groover II said. \u201cI jumped up and I said, \u2018What\u2019s wrong now?\u2019 She said, \u2018Gino just got called up.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The brief panic was immediately replaced with celebration.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said, \u2018You got to be kidding me,\u2019 and then he was on the phone,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said, \u2018Y\u2019all ready to come to the game?\u2019 I said, \u2018Man, we already coming to the game.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The family made the trip to Phoenix for Groover III\u2019s June 5 debut, just like they\u2019ve done every step of the way.<\/p>\n
\u201c(They) came to support me all throughout college, they\u2019ve been to Hillsboro, they\u2019ve been to Amarillo, came to Reno,\u201d Groover III said. \u201cThey came to every stop at least once and they were able to come here as well, in the biggest stage I can play on.\u201d<\/p>\n
He called it \u201ca blessing\u201d to give his parents the news, knowing how much they\u2019ve sacrificed throughout his career.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I owe just as much to them as I do for myself,\u201d Groover III said. \u201cThey deserve all the credit. Driving me to places, spending their time, money, effort, making sure I had the best equipment. They\u2019ve supported me my whole life on this journey that we\u2019ve been on.\u201d<\/p>\n
His parents were more nervous watching his MLB debut than he was playing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI might\u2019ve been a little bit nervous for him because I know how hard he worked to get to this point,\u201d his father said. \u201cI just wanted him to be successful, and come out and give the fans something that they\u2019re looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Throughout the game, Groover III was able to slow things down.<\/p>\n
\u201cTaking the field, I think I was a little nervous,\u201d he said. \u201cEverything\u2019s happening so fast, but after you get that first play out of the way, it calms down a little bit. You remember it\u2019s the same game. Just go out there and have fun, because that\u2019s what makes it worthwhile.\u201d<\/p>\n
After a wrist injury delayed his first full pro season, the Diamondbacks\u2019 No. 10 prospect spent all of 2025 in Double-A Amarillo, where he earned a selection to the MLB All-Star Futures Game in his home state of Georgia. Groover III began this season in Triple-A Reno, where he forced the club\u2019s hand to call him up.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a situation where Groove pushed his way into this opportunity,\u201d manager Torey Lovullo told reporters ahead of Groover III\u2019s debut. \u201cSometimes things happen through injury, there’s other reasons for call-ups, but this was a situation where he was really progressing on both sides of the baseball, and we felt like it was a really good opportunity to get him here and show us what he’s able to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
The situation might be the fact that Groover III reached base safely in 36 straight games from April 3 to May 17, the third-longest streak in professional baseball this season. The Diamondbacks are confident his bat-to-ball skills will translate to the major leagues.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe feel like he’s very capable of going out and stringing some real quality at-bats and games together,\u201d Lovullo said. \u201cHe’s here to get at-bats, he’s not here to sit on the bench. If that was the case, we’d still develop him in Triple-A.\u201d<\/p>\n
These skills have always been on display, going back to Groover III\u2019s college days.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first thing that stood out to me was, obviously, his ability to hit,\u201d said J.T. Jarrett, his teammate at North Carolina State in 2022. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of effortless how well and consistently he can drive the ball to all fields.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn\u2019t try to do too much. I remember always thinking that Gino\u2019s work was never overdone, it was just pretty simple and straightforward. The simplicity of it, the fundamentals of his swing, and approach, and training and practice, it speaks for itself because that\u2019s how you get a 36 game on-base streak.\u201d<\/p>\n
Groover III had a 24-game and 27-game hit streak that season alone. An incoming transfer from UNC Charlotte, he instantly became a key member of the Wolfpack on and off the field.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen everyone shows up in August, there\u2019s a decent chunk of the team that is new and have never really met each other,\u201d Jarrett said. \u201cBut with Gino, kind of instantly he\u2019s cutting up, and loud, and smiling and laughing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Groover III is making the same connections in the pros.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s my day one,\u201d outfielder Tommy Troy said.<\/p>\n
Troy was the Diamondbacks\u2019 first-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, when Groover III was the team\u2019s second-round selection. Although Troy debuted shortly before Groover III, their connection has never wavered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe both got drafted together, got really close really quickly and it\u2019s nice to see we\u2019re both working our way up together and here in the big leagues,\u201d Troy said.<\/p>\n
While Groover III has recorded just five hits through his first 31 at-bats, he has hit the ball hard 52% of the time and squared it up 37% of the time. Both metrics would be considered \u201cgreat\u201d by Baseball Savant with a qualifying number of plate appearances. He acknowledges the challenges of not seeing immediate results and knows they are just part of the process.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrying not to get frustrated as a player, you know, maybe you\u2019ve done something a certain way your whole entire life, and you\u2019ve got to make adjustments,\u201d he said. \u201cIt feels like it needs to happen so fast, you probably want it instantaneously, but development\u2019s not linear.\u201d<\/p>\n
He can feel the improvement as he reaches two weeks in the big leagues.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs you just go out there, you continue to play, you continue to get more reps under your belt, more games under your belt, more at-bats, things like that, you start to find things that work,\u201d Groover III said.<\/p>\n
Although Groover III\u2019s first career MLB hit didn\u2019t occur in his first career game, it made it more special when he got it the day after. June 6 also happens to be the birthday of his grandfather, LuJames Groover.<\/p>\n
The corner infielder is ready to make his name a staple of the lineup.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really just trying to go out there and focus on controllables,\u201d Groover III said. \u201cYou know, control the zone, swing at good pitches, hit the ball hard, things like that and let everything take care of itself as we continue to adjust.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m definitely more comfortable out there,\u201d he said. \u201cFinally get to relax a little bit and realize, \u2018OK, I belong here as well.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
This article first appeared on Cronkite News and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCopy Content\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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