Diamondbacks Select Tommy Henry

The Diamondbacks announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Tommy Henry. He is the starter for today’s game, making his major league debut. To make room for him on the 40-man roster, fellow lefty Tyler Gilbert was transferred to the 60-day injured list. Righty Taylor Widener was optioned to make room on the active roster.

Henry, 25, was selected by the Diamondbacks with the 74th overall pick in the 2019 draft. He tossed three innings in Low-A that year but then missed all of 2020 due to the pandemic. Last year, he made 23 starts in Double-A, putting up a 5.21 ERA with a 27.4% strikeout rate, 10.8% walk rate and 39.7% ground ball rate. Here in 2022, he’s been bumped up to Triple-A and made 20 starts so far, sitting on a 3.83 ERA with a 21.9% strikeout rate, 9.6% walk rate and 44.6% grounder rate.

Henry has appeared on Baseball America’s list of top Arizona farmhands since 2020, getting bumped up to #9 at the midseason update this year. Their report notes that he doesn’t have overpowering stuff, with his fastball sitting around 91 mph, but his best offering is his changeup.

As for Gilbert, he was placed on the injured list July 29 due to an elbow sprain. He won’t be eligible to return until 60 days from that initial IL placement, which would be late September at the earliest. He has a 5.24 ERA this season through 34 1/3 innings.