The Diamondbacks are optioning Jake McCarthy to Triple-A Reno, per the MLB.com transactions log. John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM in Phoenix suggests that Jorge Barrosa is likely to be recalled tomorrow to replace McCarthy in the outfield.
McCarthy has had a terrible start to the season. He has managed just three hits in his first 41 at-bats. The 27-year-old is coming off arguably the best year of his career. McCarthy hit .285/.349/.400 with eight homers and 25 stolen bases through a career-high 495 plate appearances last season. He earned the Opening Day assignment in center field as a result. His slump quickly cut into his playing time, as Alek Thomas has gotten the nod in center for five of the past six contests.
A good contact hitter, McCarthy has continued to put the ball in play. He has only fanned in six of 47 plate appearances, but he’s simply doing no damage. He only has one extra-base knock, a double, with five hard-hit balls (ones with an exit velocity of 95 MPH or better) on the season. McCarthy has never had imposing batted ball metrics, but the results became too much to ignore. He will be able to play every day in Reno rather than work in a fourth outfield role as he tries to get on track.
That’ll seemingly afford an MLB opportunity for the switch-hitting Barrosa. He made a brief major league debut last season, collecting three hits in eight games. He hit .270/.360/.421 over 75 Triple-A games last season. The Venezuela native is out to a stronger start in 2025, batting .295/.362/.495 with a trio of homers over 105 plate appearances in the Pacific Coast League.
Elsewhere on the roster, reliever A.J. Puk is scheduled for an MRI today (link via ESPN’s Jesse Rogers). The southpaw landed on the 15-day injured list on Saturday with inflammation in his throwing elbow. The Snakes will presumably provide a return timeline after getting the imaging results. Puk has been brilliant since the D-Backs acquired him from Miami at last summer’s deadline. He owns a 1.78 ERA with 55 strikeouts through 35 1/3 frames in an Arizona uniform.
On the other side of the injury ledger, Arizona activated Blaze Alexander from the 10-day IL and optioned him to Reno on Sunday. The 25-year-old infielder suffered an oblique strain early in his camp and only appeared in two Spring Training games. He played eight games on a rehab assignment. Rookie Tim Tawa and speedster Garrett Hampson are splitting the second base playing time with Ketel Marte on the injured list. Alexander would probably have gotten those reps had he been fully healthy throughout camp, but he’ll remain in Triple-A for the time being.
Yep…
yep
Even without Marte, the Dbacks are off to a solid start and getting contributions from several position players and pitchers – Carroll, Perdomo, Smith, Naylor, Martinez, Miller and Beeks. If they can get Burnes, Gallen, Suarez and Gurriel going they would really start rolling. Oh, and… yep.
Yep and Jordan Lawler
Given Jake’s FB% has spiked up and LD% spiked down while his Pull% has spiked up and Cent% has spiked down, it would appear Jake has tried to add a little pop to his game. With his speed and lower EV% and HH%, I suggest he stick to spraying line drives around the ballpark and creating chaos on the bases.
Didn’t this work once before? Send him down, let him rediscover what he does good, which is not trying to hit home runs, but singles and doubles, creating havoc on the base paths, etc.
Despite his early season struggles, McCarthy still has a bright future ahead. The Phils should trade for him right now while is stock is low.
What reason do the DBacks have to trade McCarthy right now? He’s optionable OF depth.
heat, They’d consider trading McCarthy for more pressing needs.
What “more pressing needs”?
-the rotation is already full (even if we’re waiting on Gallen/Burnes to lock in)
-the bullpen is already full (the “lowest leverage” arm is Morillo, and we’re waiting for Ginkel, Graveman, and Puk to return from the IL)
-the everyday lineup is already locked in (even if we’re waiting on Gurriel, Moreno, and Suarez to finally go on a run; yes, Gurriel/Suarez doing as bad as they have sucks, but both can carry a lineup when they’re going right). And the lineup is immediately in a better spot when Marte is back from the IL, and he’s getting close.
The bench is the one area where you could argue for clear cut improvements, but we’re waiting on Alexander and Del Castillo to return (as much as a like Herrera, he has been abysmal). And we obviously are going to need roster space when Lawlar forces the team’s hand.
So what would the Phillies even have to offer for a player that’s been an above average player on a rate basis for 2 of his last 3 full seasons, and still has multiple years of control left?
Yes, this is a slow start by Jake, but a slow start doesn’t make the prior production disappear.
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Are they quietly building a playoff juggernaut or flirting with roster chaos?