D-backs To Sign Anthony Gose
The Diamondbacks have agreed to a deal with lefty reliever Anthony Gose, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Gose has spent the season thus far with the Mets organization, but the MiLB transaction log reflects that he was quietly released yesterday. Whether that was an opt-out clause, an upward mobility clause or a straight release remains to be seen, but Gose is headed to a new organization. If it’s a big league deal, the Diamondbacks will need to make a corresponding move, as their 40-man roster is currently at capacity. The team has not yet formally announced the signing.
Gose, 34, began his career as an outfielder back in 2008, when the Phillies selected him in the second round of the draft. He quickly became one of the game’s top prospects and wound up seeing action in parts of five major league seasons as an outfielder — all between the Blue Jays and Tigers. Gose’s career looked to have stalled out, but the former two-way star in high school reinvented himself as a relief pitcher back in 2017-19 and has now pitched in parts of three MLB seasons — all with Cleveland.
Gose made his major league debut as a full-time pitcher in 2021 and has now pitched 32 MLB frames with a 4.78 ERA, a 29.7% strikeout rate and a 12.3% walk rate. Injuries, most notably Tommy John surgery, have limited his time on the mound and impacted him when healthy. He’s also missed time with a triceps strain, a calf strain and shoulder soreness since moving to the mound.
Between those injuries and the fact that he’s now approaching his 35th birthday, perhaps it shouldn’t be all that surprising that Gose’s heater has lost some life. When he first moved to the mound, he was brandishing a blazing four-seamer that averaged better than 99 mph and reached triple digits at times. He sat 95.7 mph in both Triple-A and the big leagues last year, and he’s dipped further to an average of 94.6 mph in 2025.
Gose has pitched 23 innings with the Mets’ affiliate in Syracuse and logged a 4.30 ERA, 24.5% strikeout rate, 13.7% walk rate and 30.6% ground-ball rate. He started the season pitching quite well, yielding a 3.31 ERA through his first 16 1/3 innings, but he’s been hit hard over the past few weeks; dating back to May 17, Gose pitched in six games and was rocked for seven runs (five earned) on nine hits and three walks with seven strikeouts.
The D-backs are starved for arms, having recently lost Justin Martinez to Tommy John surgery, Christian Montes De Oca to back surgery and Kendall Graveman to a hip injury. Lefty A.J. Puk has been out since early April due to elbow troubles. Over in the rotation, Corbin Burnes recently suffered a UCL tear that necessitated Tommy John surgery as well. The D-backs have added righties Anthony DeSclafani and Tayler Scott in recent weeks, and Gose will now add another left-handed option to the depth chart.
Diamondbacks Sign Anthony DeSclafani To Major League Contract
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.
D-Backs Sign Matt Foster To Minor League Deal
The Diamondbacks signed reliever Matt Foster to a minor league contract. The move was announced by their Triple-A club in Reno.
Foster, 30, had been pitching for the Algodoneros del Unión Laguna in Mexico for the past month and a half. He thrived in that extremely hitter-friendly setting, allowing only two runs (one earned) through 13 2/3 innings. The righty punched out 13 and didn’t walk any of the 51 batters he faced. It didn’t take long with that kind of production for the Alabama product to find his way back to affiliated ball.
The D-Backs are only the second MLB organization of Foster’s career. He was drafted by the White Sox in 2016 and pitched parts of four seasons for Chicago. Foster’s best season came in 2020, when he turned in a 2.20 ERA while striking out 28% of opponents across 28 2/3 innings. His production tailed off between 2021-22 and he underwent Tommy John surgery early in 2023. Foster missed the entire season and only managed 6 2/3 big league frames late last year. Those came with a 91.9 MPH average fastball velocity that was down two ticks from where he’d been sitting before the surgery.
Arizona’s bullpen has been decimated by injury. Justin Martinez, Cristian Mena, A.J. Puk, Kendall Graveman and Christian Montes De Oca are all on the shelf. Martinez and Montes De Oca have undergone surgeries, and Mena is out for multiple months. Puk was recently shut back down from throwing and is headed for further evaluation due to lingering soreness as he rehabs a flexor strain.
Christian Montes De Oca To Undergo Lower Back Surgery
Just one day after Diamondbacks closer Justin Martinez underwent Tommy John surgery, fans in Arizona received more troubling news about the status of the bullpen when manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (including Alex Weiner of AZ Sports) that right-hander Christian Montes De Oca is set to undergo lower back surgery that could keep him out of commission for the remainder of the 2025 season. Montes De Oca was placed on the injured list earlier this week due to inflammation in his right elbow, but is now ticketed for an unrelated procedure on top of that issue.
It’s a brutal turn of events for the 25-year-old, who made his big league debut just last week and has one scoreless outing of long relief under his belt in the majors at this point. The right-hander looked great in that debut, with zero hits and one walk allowed as he struck out two in 2 2/3 innings of work. It appears that may be his only appearance in his debut season unless he’s able to both overcome the elbow inflammation he’s been battling and his upcoming back surgery in time to get back on the mound for the Diamondbacks before the end of the year. If there’s a silver lining in the announcement, it’s that Montes De Oca will be able to try and address both issues at once rather than dealing with multiple prolonged layoffs.
Montes De Oca signed with Arizona out of the Dominican Republic and made his pro debut during his age-22 season back in 2022. A pure relief prospect from the jump who has never started a game as a pro, Montes De Oca nonetheless moved through the Arizona system quite quickly. He began his second pro season at the Double-A level and spent barely any time at Double-A in his third pro season before making the jump to Triple-A. He struggled in that first taste of the Pacific Coast League last year, but in 2025 he managed a solid 4.07 ERA and 3.66 FIP with a 25.5% strikeout rate and a walk rate of just 5.9%.
Montes De Oca joins Martinez, A.J. Puk, Corbin Burnes, Jordan Montgomery, Blake Walston, and Cristian Mena on a rapidly growing list of Diamondbacks pitchers facing extended absences. Impressive rotation depth has allowed them to weather the storm in terms of starting pitching, but the club’s relief depth has been whittled down to the point where closer Shelby Miller and lefty Jalen Beeks are the only two reliable leverage arms at Lovullo’s disposal until another option emerges internally, an external addition is made, or Puk returns from his own bout of elbow inflammation. Pitching woes are a major piece of what’s left Arizona 3.5 games out of a Wild Card spot, although the club remains one game over .500 and could theoretically look to shore up its pitching depth this summer if the team’s internal options can keep them in the race until trade season begins in earnest.
A.J. Puk Halts Throwing Program With Elbow Discomfort
Diamondbacks reliever A.J. Puk has paused his throwing program after experiencing renewed elbow soreness, manager Torey Lovullo told reporters on Friday (link via Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic). Puk will visit Dr. Neal ElAttrache before deciding on next steps. Lovullo called it “slight discomfort” and noted that the star southpaw initially hoped he could continue throwing through it.
Puk has been out since the middle of April with a flexor strain. The organization has remained hopeful that he’ll be able to rehab the injury without requiring surgery. That’s presumably still the case, but any kind of setback for a forearm/elbow injury is worrisome. That’s especially true considering Puk has a 2018 Tommy John surgery on his medical chart. Even if the follow-up visit goes well, the shutdown will push back his return timeline to some extent.
It’s the latest bad news for a reeling Arizona bullpen. Puk and Justin Martinez were supposed to serve as Lovullo’s 1-2 punch in the late innings. Puk made eight appearances before his IL stay. Martinez got into 17 games and suffered an elbow injury of his own last week. That one immediately proved serious, and the team announced this evening that he’s headed for the second elbow surgery of his career.
Arizona’s bullpen has been a huge weakness. They entered play tonight with a 5.21 earned run average that ranks 27th in MLB. The injuries to Puk and Martinez are the biggest factors, but they’ve also seen former key contributors Ryan Thompson and Kevin Ginkel struggle through rough years. Low-cost acquisitions Shelby Miller and Jalen Beeks have been their most reliable relievers. The D-Backs will need to acquire multiple bullpen arms if they’re in position to add at the deadline.
Justin Martínez To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Diamondbacks right-hander Justin Martínez will undergo Tommy John surgery. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo relayed the info today, per John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix. He’ll miss the remainder of this season and a decent chunk of 2026 as well. He is already on the 15-day injured list but will be transferred to the 60-day IL once the club needs to open a roster spot.
The news is devastating but not especially surprising. Earlier this week, Martínez landed on the IL and the Diamondbacks announced his injury as a sprain of his right ulnar collateral ligament. A sprain, by definition, involves some degree of stretching or tearing. Not all UCL sprains lead to surgery but many do.
Now that Martínez will go under the knife, he’ll be out of action for a long time. The surgery usually takes 14 to 18 months of recovery, so he’ll certainly out for the rest of this season. A return in the second half of 2026 is possible but not a guarantee.
That’s a huge blow for the Arizona bullpen. Martínez broke out last year with 72 2/3 innings with a 2.48 earned run average. His 11.7% walk rate was a bit high but he punched out 29.5% of batters faced and got opponents to pound 58.9% of balls in play into the ground.
Coming into 2025, he and A.J. Puk were supposed to be the anchors of the bullpen. The Snakes even gave Martínez a five-year, $18MM extension to cement him as part of the long-term plans. But Martínez has been on and off the IL this year, first due to shoulder inflammation and now this UCL injury. Puk has also been on the IL for almost two months now due to elbow inflammation.
Naturally, missing those two has hampered the bullpen. Arizona relievers have a collective 5.21 ERA this year, which is better than just the Angels, Nationals and Athletics. The club is 34-34 on the year, 4.5 games back of a playoff spot. Puk could be back at some point later in the year but they will have to try to survive without Martínez. If they hang in the race long enough to be buyers, then adding bullpen help at the deadline would make plenty of sense.
For the team, there is one silver lining. The extension they signed with Martínez contained two club options for 2030 and 2031, followed by a conditional club option for 2032. That conditional option would be worth $3MM and would be unlocked if Martínez required elbow surgery or spent a certain number of days on the injured list during the course of the deal. Now that he is going under the knife, that option will be officially available to them.
That’s assuming Martínez can get back on the mound and return to his previous form, which would prompt the Snakes to pick up those club options. Though Tommy John surgeries are quite common, not all pitchers can get 100% effectiveness back afterwards. Martínez is also undergoing the procedure for a second time, which adds to the risk. He first went under the knife as a prospect in 2021.
Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images
MLBTR Podcast: White Sox Ownership, Roman Anthony, And The Diamondbacks’ Rotation
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- The White Sox getting a new owner, at some point in the future (1:10)
- The Red Sox promoting Roman Anthony (13:25)
- Corbin Burnes undergoing Tommy John surgery and where that leaves the Diamondbacks (23:20)
- The Mariners designating Leody Taveras for assignment (34:10)
Plus, we answer your questions, including…
- Do the Mariners need a left-hander in the rotation? (40:45)
- What will the Braves do with the rest of the season and would they trade Chris Sale? (45:30)
- With the Mets seemingly having too many young infielders, who stays and who goes? (53:35)
Check out our past episodes!
- Jarren Duran Rumors, Caglianone And Young Promoted, And Pitching Injuries – listen here
- Bregman Injured, Marcelo Mayer Called Up, And Pirates Talk – listen here
- The Disappointing Orioles, Dalton Rushing, And The Phillies’ Bullpen – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Photo courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski, Imagn Images
Diamondbacks Outright Aramis Garcia; Scott McGough Elects Free Agency
The Diamondbacks announced a pair of roster moves this evening, as right-hander Scott McGough elected free agency while catcher Aramis Garcia cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A. Both players had been designated for assignment by the club last week.
McGough, 35, was a fifth-round pick by the Dodgers back in 2011 but didn’t make his big league debut until 2015 when he made six ill-fated outings as a member of the Marlins. He surrendered seven runs on twelve hits and four walks while striking out four across 6 2/3 innings of work for Miami and did not appear in the majors again for quite some time. After spending the next few years bouncing around the Marlins’, Orioles’, and Rockies’ minor league systems McGough caught on overseas with Nippon Professional Baseball’s Yakult Swallows. McGough ultimately spent four seasons in Japan and pitched quite well out of the bullpen there with a 26.0% strikeout rate and a 2.94 ERA across his 236 Central League appearances.
That work was enough to catch the attention of the Diamondbacks, who signed him to a deal worth $6.25MM guaranteed over two years ahead of the 2023 campaign. That signing did not go over well. McGough was a below average reliever by the numbers in 2023, with a 4.76 ERA (93 ERA+) in 70 1/3 innings, but some peripherals like his 25.6% strikeout rate and 3.49 SIERA suggested he had more to offer. Unfortunately, those underlying numbers collapsed in 2024 as he posted a 7.44 ERA and a 6.04 FIP across his 26 appearances while striking out just 16.7% of his opponents against a 14% walk rate. The Diamondbacks made the easy decision to decline a 2025 club option on his services last winter, though they eventually re-signed him to a minor league deal in February. When added to the roster back in April, McGough posted a 6.43 ERA in seven innings of work while walking (six) more batters than he struck out (five). He now returns to free agency in the midst of his age-35 season in search for a change of scenery as he looks to try and salvage his season.
As for Garcia, the 32-year-old was a second-rounder by the Giants in 2014 who made his big league debut during the 2018 season, when he helped fill the void when Buster Posey‘s season came to an abrupt end due to hip surgery. Garcia hit .286/.302/.492 (117 wRC+) across 19 games in his first taste of major league action, but he hasn’t hit a lick since. Garcia’s appeared in the majors for five different clubs since the start of the 2019 season, and in that time he’s hit just .192/.233/.282 with a 39 wRC+. Of course, that slash line comes across a sample of just 101 plate appearances in the big leagues as Garcia has been used primarily as a third-string catcher throughout his time as a big league option. Even so, there’s been very little over the years to suggest that he’s more than a depth option behind the plate for a big league club. That’s exactly how the Diamondbacks figure to use him going forward, as his outright means he can serve as non-roster depth behind the club’s primary catching tandem of Gabriel Moreno and Jose Herrera.
Diamondbacks Place Justin Martínez On IL With UCL Sprain
The Diamondbacks announced a series of roster moves today. Right-handers Kevin Ginkel and Bryce Jarvis have been recalled from Triple-A Reno and the club has also selected the contract of right-hander Tayler Scott. To open spots for those three, righty Jeff Brigham has been optioned to Reno while righties Justin Martínez and Christian Montes De Oca have both been placed on the 15-day injured list. Martínez has a sprained right ulnar collateral ligament while Montes De Oca has right elbow inflammation. To open a 40-man spot for Scott, righty Cristian Mena has been transferred to the 60-day IL.
The news on Martínez is ominous. The righty called the training staff to the mound during last night’s appearance. It was later relayed to reporters that he was experiencing elbow tightness. A sprain, by definition, involves some stretching or tearing of the ligament. Per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, manager Torey Lovullo says Martínez is now set for a second opinion on his injury.
Whenever a pitcher’s elbow is injured, it raises alarm bells about a possible surgery and those concerns certainly appear to be warranted here. It should be pointed out that not all sprains necessarily lead to a operation. To pick one recent example, Mason Miller was diagnosed with a mild UCL sprain in May of 2023 and ultimately did not head to the surgeon’s table. However, it took him four months to get back on the mound, as he wasn’t reinstated from the IL until September of that year.
It may take a few more days to determine the prognosis with Martínez but it seems like it will be an unfortunate development regardless. The righty seemed to break out as one of the best relievers in the sport last year. He tossed 72 2/3 innings for the Diamondbacks with a 2.48 earned run average. His 11.7% walk rate was certainly high but he struck out 29.5% of opponents and got grounders on 58.9% of balls in play.
The Diamondbacks believed in that breakout enough to lock up Martínez for the long term. He and the club agreed to a five-year extension in March that guarantees him $18MM, with two club options as well. Unfortunately, the first season of that deal has been a bit of a bust so far. Martínez already missed about three weeks due to some shoulder inflammation and is now back on the IL again with an even scarier diagnosis. He has only been able to throw 15 1/3 innings with a 4.11 ERA this year.
Martínez and A.J. Puk were supposed to be the two big weapons in the Arizona bullpen this year. Puk made just eight appearances before landing on the IL in mid-April due to elbow inflammation. He was later diagnosed with a flexor strain and transferred to the 60-day IL. His return timeline is unclear. Now it seems possible the Snakes may have to proceed without either of those hurlers for a while. They also put Kendall Graveman on the 15-day IL yesterday due to a hip impingement.
It’s the latest punch in what has been a bruising season for the Diamondbacks. They have lost starters Corbin Burnes and Jordan Montgomery to Tommy John surgery. Their bullpen has taken a number of hits. Some of their healthy pitchers have been underperforming. Though the Snakes came into the season with high hopes, they are now fourth in the National League West and 5.5 games back in the Wild Card race, a less than ideal time to be hemorrhaging key players.
If Martínez does have a serious injury, there would be one silver lining for the Diamondbacks in the long term. His extension has a conditional club option for 2032, valued at just $3MM. That would be triggered if he requires surgery or missed a certain number of days on the IL during the course of the deal.
While the club awaits for information there, they have to proceed with the business of the games on the schedule. They have added a number of arms to the active roster, which includes adding Scott to the 40-man. The 33-year-old Scott elected free agency last month after being designated for assignment by the Astros, which led to a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks.
He seemed to have a nice late-bloomer breakout with Houston last year, posting a 2.23 ERA over 68 2/3 innings. He struck out 25.2% of batters faced, though also gave out walks at a 12.4% pace. There was likely a bit of luck in that ERA, as his .230 batting average on balls in play and 84.9% strand rate were both to the fortunate side. ERA estimators like his 4.13 FIP and 4.04 SIERA pointed to some regression though still suggested he could be a capable big league arm.
The pendulum swing ended up being quite strong. He posted a 5.40 ERA through 16 2/3 innings to start this year. His .313 BABIP and 65.2% strand rate went to the other side of average as his strikeout rate fell to 20.5% and his walk rate climbed to 15.4%.
Since he’s out of options, that got him bumped off the roster and to free agency. Since landing with the D’Backs, he has thrown 3 1/3 scoreless innings for Reno. He may have a tenuous grasp on a roster spot, given his out-of-options status, but he, Ginkel and Jarvis will give the club three fresh arms after they used eight different pitchers to get through yesterday’s 11-inning game against the Mariners.
As for Mena, he just landed on the IL a few days ago with a shoulder strain. Lovullo said his absence would be measured in “weeks, not days.” Given today’s IL transfer, he will be ineligible for reinstatement until early August.
Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images
Diamondbacks Place Kendall Graveman On 15-Day IL
The Diamondbacks announced that right-hander Kendall Graveman was placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to June 8) due to an impingement in his right hip. Righty Christian Montes De Oca was called up from Triple-A Reno to take Graveman’s spot on the active roster.
After missing all of 2024 recovering from shoulder surgery, Graveman’s 2025 debut was delayed until May 13 due to a season-opening stint on the 15-day IL due to a lumbar strain. Graveman then posted a 2.45 ERA over his first 7 1/3 innings and eight appearances for the Snakes before he struggled through a brutal outing in Saturday’s 13-1 Arizona loss to the Reds. Graveman was charged with six earned runs over just one inning of work, shooting his ERA up from 2.45 to 8.64.
It is fair to wonder if this hip problem was to blame for Graveman’s rough game, though some other red flags were there even before he took the mound on Saturday. Graveman has more walks (five) than strikeouts (three) over 8 1/3 total innings, and his 30% grounder rate is well below the 50.9% career groundball rate Graveman had posted over his nine previous big league seasons. His signature sinker is averaging 94.6mph, which is down from a 95.9mph average in 2023, though an early-season velocity drop isn’t unusual for a pitcher just coming back from a long layoff.
Unfortunately for Graveman, that nightmare against Cincinnati will represent his last game for at least a couple of weeks. This latest trip to the IL can hopefully allow the veteran to fully put his health issues behind him, and an in-form Gravement would sorely help a struggling D’Backs bullpen. Given how Arizona has a 31-34 record, Graveman (who is only signed through the 2025 season, with a mutual option for 2026) would be an obvious trade chip as a rental player if the Diamondbacks can’t get back into contention.
In other unwelcome news on the pitching injury front, righty Cristian Mena‘s right shoulder strain is specifically a teres major strain, as manger Torey Lovullo told Arizona Sports’ Alex Weiner and other reporters. Mena was placed on the 15-day IL on Saturday, but Lovullo said Mena’s absence will be measured in “weeks, not days.”
The 22-year-old Mena made his MLB debut with one three-inning start with the D’Backs last season, and this year had allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings over three relief appearances. Mena was a candidate for some turns in the rotation given all of the injury problems faced by Arizona’s starters, but the righty himself has now joined the IL for what might be a lengthy period of time.