Aced it: Jordan Luplow collects 3-homer game

Less than a week after being optioned to Triple-A Reno to make room in the Majors for the Arizona Diamondbacks’ top prospect, Jordan Luplow showed off the thump he still has in his bat.

The veteran outfielder clobbered three home runs in his fourth game since joining the Aces, going deep in each of his first three plate appearances in an 8-7 win over Las Vegas on Saturday.

“It felt good,” Luplow said. “I came down here to work on my swing and for the work to pay off tonight, it’s nice. It’s nice to see the results you work for off the field show up on the field.”

Luplow’s first home run of the evening was already his second in Reno. He had gone yard in his first at-bat in his first game with the team on Wednesday and got the action started early once again with a solo blast to center off Aviators starter Hogan Harris.

The ball traveled 458 feet, according to Statcast. The longest home run in Luplow’s Major League career went 441 feet, when he was with the Pirates in 2018.

“I didn’t feel anything off the bat,” Luplow laughed. “That’s when you know you got it.”

"He loves doubles and he loves dingers"

Jordan Luplow launches his second HR in Reno on the first pitch we were at the plate 💣@J_Luppp | #Aceball pic.twitter.com/qEt3FiKTEc

— Reno Aces (@Aces) September 4, 2022

He got two more, a two-run shot in the second inning and another solo jack in the fourth, and less than halfway through the game, Luplow had accomplished a career first in his ninth professional season. The last Reno batter to complete the feat was Josh Rojas in August of 2021.

Luplow isn’t with the Aces on a rehab assignment. Acquired from the Rays last November, he had spent the entire season in the Majors with the D-backs before a combination of offensive struggles and a numbers game squeezed him off the roster.

Hitting .163 with 11 home runs in 73 games, Luplow was sent down to make room for Corbin Carroll, MLB’s No. 3 overall prospect.

“It’s something you never want to happen, obviously, but I’m not the type of guy to mope about it,” Luplow said. “I’m going to take it for what it is and try and get better so I can get back up there and help the squad.”

For the 28-year-old, who hit a grand slam in the first inning of last year’s American League Division Series for Tampa Bay, a stint in Triple-A affords him the opportunity to work on both the physical and mental aspects of hitting.

“Just being more direct,” Luplow said of his primary focus. “Synching up my lower half with upper half. Just being the player I know I can be. A little mental break from the stress of the big leagues is probably what I needed. I’ll keep grinding away and hopefully the results keep coming.”

Up, down, traded -- it’s become somewhat routine for Luplow at this point in his career. Now with his fourth organization, he’s determined to make his latest demotion more of a pit stop.

“There are always new obstacles that come along,” Luplow said. “You come to a new team and it all depends where they’re at. Are they trying to win now? Are you a rental? Are you helping the young guys build something nice for the future? You just have to be the player that you are and not try to be anyone else. That’s why they sought you out and have you on the team.”