TODAY: The D’Backs announced that DeSclafani signed a big league deal, and he has been added to the active roster. To create roster space, right-hander Bryce Jarvis was optioned to Triple-A and Justin Martinez (who will miss the rest of the season due to UCL surgery) was shifted from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL.
JUNE 12: Right-hander Anthony DeSclafani has opted out of his minor league deal with the Yankees and is joining the Diamondbacks, reports Joel Sherman of The New York Post. It’s unclear if he’ll be signing a major or minor league deal with Arizona.
DeSclafani, 35, signed a minor league deal with the Yankees about a month ago. He has since made five starts at the Triple-A level, allowing 4.50 earned runs per nine in his 20 innings. He struck out 22.2% of batters faced while giving out walks at a 10% clip and getting grounders on 42.4% of balls in play. All those rates are fairly close to typical big league averages.
It’s a small sample of work but DeSclafani has a lengthy major league track record. The larger question in recent years has been health, or the lack thereof. From 2015 to 2021, he posted a 3.97 ERA over 791 major league innings. That was enough to get him a three-year, $36MM deal from the Giants going into 2022.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to provide much return on that investment. Right ankle inflammation hobbled him throughout 2022, limiting him to five starts with a 6.63 ERA. In 2023, he logged 99 2/3 innings with a 4.88 ERA but didn’t pitch after July due to a right elbow flexor strain. He was traded to the Mariners and then the Twins ahead of the 2024 season but required season-ending flexor tendon surgery in March.
DeSclafani is now almost two years removed from his most recent major league game but appears to be healthy now. He has averaged 92.5 miles per hour on his fastball so far this year. That’s a bit down from a few years ago, as he averaged between 93 and 95 mph during his best years, but he might still be ramping up after a lengthy layoff.
Unsurprisingly, the Yankees didn’t have a fit for him at the big league level. Despite several injuries, their rotation is in decent shape. They have Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt, Will Warren and Ryan Yarbrough. They could get Marcus Stroman and JT Brubaker back soon, as both are on rehab assignments. Luis Gil is tossing bullpens and could be on his own rehab assignment in the coming weeks.
The Diamondbacks have a shakier rotation. They recently lost Corbin Burnes to Tommy John surgery. Jordan Montgomery has been out all year due to that same procedure. That leaves them with Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Brandon Pfaadt, Eduardo Rodríguez and Ryne Nelson. Kelly has been good but he’s the exception. Each of Gallen, Pfaadt and Rodríguez has an ERA north of 5.00. Rodríguez also just returned from an IL stint for shoulder inflammation. Nelson’s ERA is at 4.60 but he’s largely been in a long relief role this year. He just returned to the rotation in the wake of the Burnes injury but allowed seven runs in three innings against the Reds on Saturday. Potential replacements like Cristian Mena and Blake Walston are also on the shelf.
In short, DeSclafani has a far better chance to returning to the big leagues with the Snakes than with the Yanks, so this is a sensible move for him. If he is jumping right into the big leagues, the Diamondbacks would need to make corresponding moves to get him onto the active and 40-man rosters. If it’s a minor league deal, he’ll presumably report to Triple-A Reno to continue ramping up there.
Photo courtesy of D. Ross Cameron, Imagn Images.
Take care now. We barely knew You. Good luck. Now bring up Beeter or Winans to replace Hamilton or other dead weight not producing. You don’t produce go play in Pittsburgh or KC they don’t care about winning like New York
Yankeesfans.gif
He doesn’t represent us
He’s not one of us.
Peter Gabriel
And yet, the royals have won a world series more recently than the wahnkees.
Skankees
Arizona probably told him he is starting tomorrow
We take anything that breathes and is able to throw something out of their hand.
Why do teams continue to pay millions to aging hurlers with a record of substantial injuries?
The list of quality pitchers who don’t have some sort of injury history isn’t long enough to fill out 30 major league rosters.
He just threw 78 pitches on Tuesday. He’s not pitching tomorrow.
if he starts that soon, they will dfa shortly after
His stay with Arizona will be short, very short. D-Backs desperation.
Panic at the DeSco time im the desert it seems…
Good riddance. Maybe open up innings for another AA prospect to get promoted (maybe Beck?).
Why the vitriol? He was a depth piece.
@Yankees – Didn’t mean it to come off like that. They’ve signed a lot of these guys but really have openings for them. They still have Carrasco … Woodford, DeSclafani and Leibrandt moved elsewhere.
Hoping Yankees use those spots for younger guys (who still have options and allow for flexibility).
Make that “no” openings
There’s no one in Beck’s way at AAA, even before DeScalfini and Leibrandt skedaddled.
If he does sign a ML contract, could it be they are close to a trade deal involving one of their FA’s to be Gallen. or Kelly.
But on the other hand, with pitchers going down left and right, a signing for insurance.
That was my thought as well. Hopefully Gallen. It may also mean they want Ryne in long-relief? Interesting pickup.
I doubt it. He’ll be the long relief guy in the bullpen for now. They wanted to keep Jarvis developing as a starter in Reno and they don’t have any other healthy candidates to eat innings in that role as of now.
Thought he retired.
Is he following the alleged path of lance dobbins?
This is a quality post. This man is on top of the most amusing baseball news.
Master has given Dobbie a sock. A Red Sock.
Disco is back!
I’m having Disco Fever over and over again!
Torey Lovullo announced the other day that Martinez is NOT undergoing TJ surgery. He’s having an internal brace procedure for his UCL.
I like Him and he has upside. He had alot of good games.
I don’t think a 35-year-old who has barely pitched in 2 years and wasn’t good the last time he was in the Major Leagues has much upside.
The great Disco is back in business, had a good run a few years back.