The D’Backs announced that they have designated infielder Andy Marte for assignment and selected the contract of third base prospect Jake Lamb from Triple-A Reno.
The 30-year-old Marte, once regarded as one of the Top 10 prospects in all of baseball, went 3-for-16 with a homer in his brief cameo with the Snakes this season — his first big league action since 2010. Arizona is Marte’s third Major League club (along with the Braves and Indians), but he’s never delivered on his once lofty upside. The third baseman owns just a .218/.276/.358 batting line in 940 big league plate appearances.
Lamb, on the other hand, will seemingly be auditioning for a long-term role with the D’Backs. The former sixth-round pick and University of Washington product has absolutely mashed minor league pitching in 2014, slashing .327/.407/.566 with 15 homers, 39 doubles and five triples in 460 PA between Double-A and Triple-A (though just 21 of those PA came at Triple-A). There would appear to be a clear path to playing time for Lamb, following the trades of Martin Prado to the Yankees and Matt Davidson to the White Sox over the past calendar year.
Why couldn’t Arizona have done this a week ago? Thanks for sticking around long enough to almost single-handedly kill the Pirates this past weekend, Andy.
A week ago Lamb didn’t have an AB in AAA Reno. Once arriving in Reno, Lamb went 9 for 18 with a HR & 5 RBI(s).