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Athletics Claim Buddy Kennedy

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The A’s announced that they’ve claimed infielder Buddy Kennedy off waivers from the Diamondbacks.  Kennedy was designated for assignment by Arizona earlier this week, and he now been optioned to the Athletics’ Triple-A club.

The 24-year-old is changing organizations for the first time in his pro career, as Kennedy has been with the D’Backs since he was a fifth-round selection in the 2017 draft.  His time in Arizona has resulted in 40 games at the Major League level, with ten of those appearances coming this season.  Kennedy hasn’t done much hitting (.206/.293/.299) over his 123 plate appearances in the bigs, and his minor league numbers are somewhat inconsistent.  However, Kennedy has taken full advantage of the hitter-friendly environment at Triple-A Reno this season, batting .318/.444/.481 over 417 PA for the Diamondbacks’ top affiliate.

Defensively, Kennedy has mostly played as a third baseman but has increasingly gotten time at second base over the last two years, plus he has seen sparing action at first base and in left field.  The waiver claim gives the A’s another versatile player to take a look at over the last few weeks of the season, and as they look ahead to 2024.

Because the D’Backs outrighted Kennedy off their 40-man roster last winter, Kennedy now has the ability to choose free agency in the event of a future DFA and clearance of waivers, which adds another wrinkle for the Athletics in whether or not they want to keep him on their 40-man roster.

D-Backs Promote Jordan Lawlar

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September 7: The Diamondbacks have now made Lawlar’s promotion official, announced that move and Ahmed’s DFA today. They also activated catcher Seby Zavala, claimed off waivers this week, and recalled right-hander Ryne Nelson. Catcher José Herrera and right-hander Bryce Jarvis were optioned in corresponding moves for Zavala and Nelson.

September 6: The Diamondbacks are calling up top infield prospect Jordan Lawlar, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link). They’ll presumably make the move official tomorrow in advance of a pivotal four-game series against the Cubs. Arizona is designating Nick Ahmed for assignment in a corresponding move.

Lawlar seems likely to take over as the primary third baseman. Piecoro wrote this afternoon that the Snakes were considering him as an option at the hot corner. Lawlar made his first professional start there with Triple-A Reno last night. That’s obviously a very limited look, but teams generally feel comfortable moving shortstops to other infield positions.

A Dallas native, Lawlar was regarded as one of the top prospects in the 2021 draft class coming out of high school. He somewhat surprisingly lasted until the sixth pick, though Arizona went above slot with the third-highest signing bonus to add him to the system.

Lawlar’s draft season was cut short by an injury to his left shoulder, which required surgery. He didn’t show any signs of rust the following year, though. The right-handed hitter put together a .303/.401/.509 batting line in his first full professional season. He reached Double-A Amarillo late last year, an impressive achievement for a player who had just turned 20 years old.

That huge showing cemented Lawlar’s status as one of the sport’s most talented prospects. Arizona assigned him back to Amarillo to begin the 2023 campaign. He started relatively slowly but has caught fire since the weather warmed up. Lawlar has an OPS north of .900 in the minors for each month since June. He hit .263/.366/.474 in 410 Double-A plate appearances overall to earn a bump to Reno in mid-August. Lawlar has only appeared in 16 games there, mashing at a .358/.438/.612 clip.

While he’s had the benefit of playing in favorable hitting environments, Lawlar’s cumulative .278/.378/.496 line on the year is strong. He’s walking at a quality 11.4% clip against a decent 20.6% strikeout rate. He has popped 20 homers, 23 doubles and four triples and gone 36-41 in stolen base attempts.

Baseball America recently slotted Lawlar as the sport’s #9 overall prospect, while Kiley McDaniel of ESPN placed him 25th. As his numbers indicate, he’s generally viewed as a well-rounded player with solid tools across the board. McDaniel suggests that a lack of a standout carrying tool could keep Lawlar more as a quality regular than a true star. Even if Lawlar doesn’t have quite the same upside as some top prospects, most evaluators seem confident in him being a productive everyday player at the major league level.

Whether that’ll be the case immediately could have an impact on this year’s playoff picture. Arizona beat Colorado this afternoon and remains tied with Miami, half a game behind the Reds for the final NL Wild Card spot. The Cubs occupy the second Wild Card position, so Arizona has a chance to directly make up ground when they head to Wrigley.

There’s risk with any prospect, particularly one who only has a year and a half of minor league reps under his belt. Yet Lawlar brings more offensive upside than Arizona’s current third base mix. The Snakes have used a combination of Jace Peterson, Emmanuel Rivera and occasionally Evan Longoria at the hot corner. While Rivera had played reasonably well early in the season, they’ve gotten almost nothing out of the position lately. Arizona third basemen are hitting .195/.298/.305 since the All-Star Break.

Geraldo Perdomo has also cooled off at shortstop after an All-Star first half. Yet he’s playing well enough overall to keep the hold onto that job, seemingly pushing Lawlar to the other left side infield position for now. It stands to reason Arizona still views Lawlar as a shortstop option if Perdomo gets injured or goes through an extended slump.

He’ll retain his rookie eligibility going into next season. If the D-Backs carry him for a full service year, Lawlar could net them an extra draft choice if he plays well enough to win Rookie of the Year or finish top three in MVP balloting during his pre-arbitration seasons. That’s a much further off possibility. For now, his focus will be on trying to help a young and increasingly exciting Arizona team to the postseason.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Multiple Clubs Had Pre-Deadline Interest In Tommy Pham

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Outfielder Tommy Pham was traded from the Mets to the Diamondbacks prior to the trade deadline but seemingly had plenty of interest around the league. Per a report from Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic, the Twins, Yankees, Dodgers, Rays and Padres all had interest in him. That’s in addition to reported interest from other clubs, such as the Blue Jays, Rangers and Phillies.

Pham, 35, has had many strong seasons in his career but has been a bit inconsistent of late. From 2015 to 2019, he hit a combined .277/.373/.472 for a wRC+ of 130, producing above-average offense in each individual season. He struggled in 2020 by hitting .211/.312/.312, but there were reasons to expect that was a blip. That year was played in the unusual circumstances of the pandemic, with the season shortened to just 60 games. Pham also suffered a fractured hamate that year and only played 31 of those 60 contests.

He was able to get back on track somewhat in 2021, with a line of .229/.340/.383. Buoyed by a 13.9% walk rate, his wRC+ was 103, indicating he was 3% above league average. But last year, that walk rate dipped to 9% and his line of .236/.312/.374 resulted in a wRC+ of 90.

On the heels of that down year, the Mets were able to sign him to a one-year deal with a modest $6MM guarantee. They were likely intrigued by Pham’s continued excellent with the platoon advantage, as he still hit .273/.338/.446 against lefties despite the subpar season overall in 2022. That’s long been a strength for him, as he’s hit .271/.382/.456 against southpaws for his career as a whole.

The Mets were rewarded by seeing Pham bounce back into good form. In 79 games as a Met, he hit .268/.348/.472 for a wRC+ of 125, and he wasn’t limited to platoon work either. He produced solid work regardless of who was on the mound, slashing .255/.339/.532 against lefties and .277/.355/.431 versus righties. He hasn’t quite been able to carry that over to his new club, hitting .243/.290/.417 while striking out in a quarter of his trips to the plate. Although he was walking at an 11% clip with the Mets, that rate has dropped to just 5.6% with Arizona.

The fact that Pham had such widespread interest prior to the deadline would seem to bode well for him this winter. Even with his dip in results since the deal, his season-long offense translates to a wRC+ of 113, his highest such figure since 2019. His Statcast page features plenty of red, as he is in the 94th percentile in terms of average exit velocity and 92nd in hard hit rate. He’s also stolen 17 bases so far this year and is considered around league average in the field by both Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average.

What might help Pham, beyond his own results, is the relative lack of impact bats available this winter. The upcoming free agent class leans heavily to the pitching side, which could give Pham and other hitters some leverage in finding deals to their liking.

Turning to those specific teams mentioned in today’s report, the Twins will have plenty of left-handed bats in their corner outfield/designated hitter mix next year, including Max Kepler, Edouard Julien, Matt Wallner, Alex Kirilloff, Andrew Stevenson and Trevor Larnach. The Rays love to play matchups and could fit Pham into a platoon with lefties like Josh Lowe, Luke Raley or Jonathan Aranda. The Yankees are currently giving playing time to younger guys like Jasson Domínguez and Everson Pereira but might want to add some veteran presence for next year. The Dodgers are about to see both David Peralta and Jason Heyward become free agents. The Padres have three outfielders in Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto and Trent Grisham but designated hitter has been a big hole all year thanks to the struggles of players like Nelson Cruz and Matt Carpenter.

Diamondbacks Designate Nick Ahmed For Assignment

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The Diamondbacks designated veteran shortstop Nick Ahmed for assignment, manager Torey Lovullo informed reporters (including Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic). That’s the corresponding move for the promotion of top infield prospect Jordan Lawlar.

It’ll close the book on Ahmed’s 10-year tenure in the desert. Arizona initially acquired him as part of a five-player return from the Braves for Justin Upton and Chris Johnson during the 2012-13 offseason. Ahmed debuted in the majors a year later and took over as the starting shortstop heading into 2015.

That was the first of six eventual Opening Day starts over the next nine years. Ahmed has never made much of an offensive impact, but he immediately broke in as one of the game’s preeminent defensive shortstops. In a little over 7000 career innings, Ahmed has rated an elite 80 runs above average by measure of Defensive Runs Saved. Among shortstops, only Andrelton Simmons has topped Ahmed in DRS over that stretch. Statcast’s Outs Above Average metric, which dates back to 2015, has placed him only behind Francisco Lindor (who has logged over 3000 more innings).

Ahmed deservedly secured consecutive Gold Glove awards in 2018-19. Heading into the 2020 campaign, Arizona signed him to a $32.5MM contract to cover his final arbitration season and three would-be free agent years. It was a bet in Ahmed maintaining his elite defensive form, but the deal didn’t go as the organization had hoped.

The first season went well. Ahmed hit at a nearly average level in the shortened season while continuing to play excellent defense. His offense plummeted to a .221/.280/.339 slash the following year. Ahmed continued to defend well but battled a shoulder injury toward season’s end. That unfortunately carried over into 2022, as the veteran was forced to undergo season-ending surgery last June.

Arizona turned the shortstop job back over to him headed into 2023. Ahmed continued to struggle offensively, though, and Arizona gave increasing playing time to Geraldo Perdomo. Ahmed has worked as a glove-first backup, appearing in 72 games and hitting .212/.257/.303 across 210 plate appearances.

Between Perdomo and Lawlar, it always seemed as if Arizona would move on from Ahmed once his contract expired at year’s end. With the D-Backs hoping for an offensive spark in calling up the 21-year-old top prospect, they bumped the veteran off the roster a few weeks early. Arizona will put Ahmed on waivers in the coming days. He’ll surely go unclaimed, as no team will want to take on the approximate $1.4MM remaining on his $10MM salary. He will very likely become a free agent — either via release or declining an outright assignment.

While he could then look for other opportunities, he wouldn’t be eligible for postseason play with another team. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he simply waits until the offseason to look for a new landing spot for 2024.

Diamondbacks Claim Seby Zavala, Designate Buddy Kennedy

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The Diamondbacks announced that have claimed catcher Seby Zavala off waivers from the White Sox. The backstop was designated for assignment by the Sox earlier this week. Infielder Buddy Kennedy was designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reported on the Zavala claim prior to the official announcement.

Zavala, 30, served as the backup to Yasmani Grandal for most of this season. His defensive grades have largely been strong in his career and this year has been no exception. His seven Defensive Runs Saved puts him in the top 10 among catchers around the league this year, with most of the others around him having done so with more playing time. He’s also considered to be above-average in terms of pitch framing.

The problem this year has been at the plate, not behind it. Zavala has struck out in 38.7% of his plate appearances and walked at just a 5.7% clip this year. His .155/.207/.304 batting line amounts to a wRC+ of just 34. Among hitters with at least 170 plate appearances this year, only Austin Hedges and Brenton Doyle have worse production by measure of wRC+. Zavala spent about a month on the injured list after suffering an oblique strain in early August but the Sox designated him for assignment when he was done rehabbing instead of adding him back to the roster.

Recent struggles notwithstanding, it’s understandable why the Diamondbacks would be interested. Zavala’s glovework gives him a decent floor and his bat has been better in the past. As recently as last year, he hit .270/.347/.382 for a wRC+ of 111. His 31.2% strikeout rate was still on the high side but he also walked in 9.3% of his plate appearances.

Arizona will bring him aboard and add him to their catching mix. Zavala is out of options and will need to continually justify his active roster spot, but he can be controlled for four more seasons after this one if he does so. Gabriel Moreno is having a solid season and should continue to get the bulk of the playing time, with Zavala sliding into the backup role. Carson Kelly had that gig for a while but was released last month and signed with the Tigers. José Herrera has been in the backup role since then but he is optionable and has subpar numbers both offensively and defensively this year.

Kennedy, 24, was hitting .318/.447/.480 in Triple-A when the Diamondbacks selected his contract last month. He then hit just .167/.310/.208 in the majors and got optioned back down to Reno last week. The club will put him on waivers in the coming days. He’s still optionable and has less than a year of service time, which could appeal to other clubs around the league. But Arizona was able to pass him through outright waivers in November of last year and could do so again. If that were to happen, he would have the right to elect free agency since it would be his second career outright.

Miguel Castro Has Reached Required Number Of Appearances For 2024 Option To Vest

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Diamondbacks righty Miguel Castro signed a one-year deal that guaranteed him $3.25MM but also came with various incentives and a vesting option for the 2024 season. That $5MM salary was contingent on Castro reaching 60 appearances and passing an end-of-season physical, the former of which Castro quietly checked off late last month. The right-hander is now up to 65 appearances on the year, meaning that so long as he’s healthy for that end-of-year physical, he’ll be back in the fold for the D-backs next year at that $5MM price point. He’s also maxed out his appearance-based incentives for the 2023 season, adding an additional $900K to this year’s salary.

Already in his ninth Major League season despite not yet celebrating his 29th birthday, Castro was a solid member of the Arizona bullpen for the bulk of the year before a recent pair of nightmare outings sent his ERA north of 5.00. From Opening Day through Aug. 14, Castro logged a 3.86 ERA — albeit with worse-than-average strikeout, walk and ground-ball rates (20.9%, 10.2%, 41%, respectively). Castro was rocked for four earned runs in each of his next two appearances and tagged for three runs less than two weeks later; more than one-third of the runs he’s yielded this season came in a span of just 10 days.

It’s an awful stretch, but Castro’s season otherwise more or less lines up with the broader track record he put together from 2017-22: 350 innings, 3.93 ERA, 20.6% strikeout rate, 12.5% walk rate, 49.6% ground-ball rate. Both his ground-ball rate and average sinker velocity are down this season — he’s still averaging a hearty 96.8 mph on that two-seamer — but Castro is also walking batters at his lowest clip of any full big league season (9.8%).

Assuming Castro indeed passes his physical, he’ll return to a D-backs relief corps that’ll be fronted by deadline pickup Paul Sewald. Righty Kevin Ginkel and lefty Kyle Nelson have both cemented their places in the Arizona ’pen as well, and veteran Scott McGough is slated to return for the second season of his two-year deal. (Like Castro, McGough got out to a strong start but had his ERA blown up by a rough patch this summer.) Newcomer Ryan Thompson will also be looking to earn a role for the ’24 bullpen over the final few weeks of the current season.

If the D-backs want to go outside the organization to add to that group, there ought to be ample funds available to do so. Even after accounting for Castro’s $5MM salary next year, Arizona has just shy of $53MM on the books, per Roster Resource. That doesn’t include arbitration raises to notable names like Christian Walker, Zac Gallen, Sewald and Ginkel. Still, that bunch of raises will likely leave the Diamondbacks south of $90MM in guarantees, which is well shy of both this year’s $123MM payroll and their franchise-record $132MM payroll from the 2018 season.

As such, general manager Mike Hazen and his staff should have some money to work with this offseason — particularly with the organization’s regrettable commitment to Madison Bumgarner set to expire after the 2024 campaign. The D-backs owe Bumgarner $14MM for the 2024 season but are off the hook beginning in 2025. They have just $21MM on the books in 2025: a $5MM salary for Corbin Carroll and a $16MM salary for Ketel Marte.

Diamondbacks Select Andrew Saalfrank

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The Diamondbacks announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Andrew Saalfrank, with righty Slade Cecconi optioned in the corresponding move. To open a spot on the 40-man roster, outfielder Dominic Fletcher was recalled and placed on the 60-day injured list due to a fractured left index finger. Prior to the official announcement, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reported that Saalfrank had a locker in the clubhouse and Cecconi did not.

Saalfrank, 26, was a sixth-round draft pick of the Diamondbacks in 2019. He made a brief professional debut in the lower levels of the system that year, but then the pandemic wiped out the minor leagues in 2020 and Saalfrank didn’t pitch in 2021. He split last year between High-A and Double-A, posting a combined 3.52 earned run average. He struck out 29.2% of opponents but walked 11.3%.

He went back to Double-A to start this year, tossing 33 1/3 innings with a 2.70 ERA. His 14.2% walk rate was quite high but he also struck out 31.9% of opponents while getting grounders on 64.9% of balls in play. He got promoted to Triple-A Reno and continued to thrive, despite that club playing in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He’s thrown 30 2/3 innings for the Aces with a 2.35 ERA, 37.5% strikeout rate, 11.7% walk rate and 60.3% ground ball rate.

That strong showing in the minors will get him a shot at getting major leaguers out, joining Kyle Nelson and Joe Mantiply as the club’s southpaw relief mix. Saalfrank will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game.

As for Fletcher, he’s been on optional assignment since early July. He landed on the minor league injured list in late August, evidently due to this finger fracture. It seems the club doesn’t believe he’ll be back this year, as he is now ineligible to return within the remainder of the season.

MLBTR Poll: The Crowded NL Wild Card Race

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Despite Fangraphs’ Playoff Odds giving Atlanta (100%), Los Angeles (100%), Milwaukee (98.7%), Philadelphia (96.3%), and Chicago (78%) better than 75% odds of making the playoffs, play in the National League closed this evening with the NL Wild Card race looking as tight as ever thanks to the third and final spot.

Four teams sport winning percentages of .511, putting all of them in an effective tie for the third Wild Card spot behind the Phillies and Cubs. With less than a month to go in the schedule, it’s increasingly likely that only one of Arizona, Cincinnati, Miami, and San Francisco will join the aforementioned five clubs in the postseason this year. Let’s take a look at each of those four clubs, as things stand for them headed into the stretch run:

San Francisco Giants, 70-67 (48.9% playoff odds)

The Giants established themselves as contenders back in June with a fantastic 18-8 record that month and have managed to stay within spitting distance of a playoff spot ever since. Unfortunately for San Francisco, that excellent June is the last month the club posted a winning record. The club has gone just 24-31 since the beginning of July, with their playoff odds dropping from 69.2% down to 47.8% during that stretch. Injuries to key players like Michael Conforto and Anthony DeSclafani have left the club playing at less than full strength, but a bigger problem for the club is the rapidly declining offense: since July 1, the club’s 77 wRC+ is the second worst figure in the majors ahead of only the Rockies.

On the other hand, the club sports a strong if unconventional pitching staff highlighted by ace Logan Webb, veteran Alex Cobb, rookie Kyle Harrison, and closer Camilo Doval that is further bolstered by the excellent defense provided by rookie catcher Patrick Bailey. With that solid run prevention group, it’s easy to see how the Giants could make the playoffs if key offensive contributors like Joc Pederson, Lamonte Wade Jr. and Thairo Estrada can return to the success they showed earlier in the season. Outside of seven games against the Dodgers, San Francisco’s remaining schedule is fairly soft, which should help them in their pursuit of the final NL playoff spot.

Arizona Diamondbacks, 70-67 (33.3% playoff odds)

A surprise early season contender, the Diamondbacks dominated the NL West throughout the first half, holding sole possession of first place in their division as late into the season as July 8 thanks to a strong offensive core of Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte, and Christian Walker along with a strong pair of starters at the top of their rotation in righties Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly. Unfortunately for Arizona, their hold on the division lead would vanish over the next month as the club posted a 5-21 record over their next 26 games that was nothing short of disastrous. Despite the trade deadline coming directly in the middle of that awful stretch, Arizona’s front office added outfielder Tommy Pham and closer Paul Sewald to the floundering club, and the team has responded by going 13-7 since their skid came to an end.

With all of the club’s key players healthy headed into the stretch run, the Diamondbacks are perhaps the biggest question mark in this race. Was their brutal month of play, where they looked like one of the worst teams in baseball, simply a fluke? Or was it the beginning of the end for an underdog team projected for a 78-84 record when the season began? With 12 of their final 25 games coming against teams with a record of .500 or better, Arizona won’t have a particularly easy schedule to make use of as they try to secure their first playoff berth since 2017.

Miami Marlins, 70-67 (26.5% playoff odds)

The Marlins’ 2023 campaign has been a strange one. Earlier in the year, the club was carried by the bats of Luis Arraez and Jorge Soler and a historic record in one-run games. Much like the last two teams discussed, the months of July and August were difficult for Miami, as the club posted a record of just 19-32 while Soler (.697 OPS in July) and Arraez (.580 OPS in August) slumped badly. Fortunately, the club received offensive reinforcements at the trade deadline in the form of Jake Burger and Josh Bell, both of whom have posted strong results since joining the Marlins. What’s more, Alcantara has looked more like himself of late, with a 3.04 ERA in his last 77 innings of work.

While Soler hasn’t played in recent days due to injury, the offense is in a good place thanks to the contributions of Burger and Bell, while the rotation led by Alcantara, Eury Perez, Jesus Luzardo, and Edward Cabrera has been characteristically excellent. Perhaps Miami’s biggest obstacle in returning to the postseason for the first time since 2020 is the schedule: of the club’s final 25 games, the Marlins will face the Brewers, Dodgers, Braves and Phillies in sixteen of them.

Cincinnati Reds, 71-68 (16% playoff odds)

The Reds are perhaps the most surprising team of this quartet. The club’s success this season has been fueled almost entirely by a youth movement that began early in the season. While shortstop Elly De La Cruz hasn’t quite been the offensive force he was expected to be in his rookie season, infielder Matt McLain and starter Andrew Abbott have been nothing short of sensational. What’s more, other youngsters like Spencer Steer, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and Brandon Williamson have contributed in significant ways, to say nothing of contributions from more established players like TJ Friedl, Hunter Greene, Joey Votto, and Alexis Diaz.

While the Reds slumped badly to a 10-17 record in August, only six of the club’s final 23 games are against clubs with a record better than .500, given them plenty of opportunity to go on a run. Unfortunately for Cincinnati, between a rash of injuries and an outbreak of COVID-19, the Reds have a whopping 16 players on the injured list, including key players like Greene, McLain, Williamson, and Votto. With a pair of the club’s biggest bats and most reliable rotation arms out of commission for the foreseeable future, the Reds’ outlook is far hazier than it otherwise may have been.

———————

How does the readership of MLBTR think the race for the final NL Wild Card will shake out over the next month? Will one of the NL West clubs hold on to claim the spot that for much of the season they looked to be a shoo-in for? Will the Marlins overcome their brutal September schedule to emerge victorious? Or can the Reds navigate a wave of injuries to squeak into the playoffs in a full season for the first time since 2013?

(poll link for app users)

Diamondbacks Outright Nabil Crismatt

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The D-Backs have sent reliever Nabil Crismatt outright to Triple-A Reno, according to the transaction tracker at MLB.com. He’d been designated for assignment on Sunday when Arizona selected righty Ryan Thompson onto the big league roster.

Crismatt pitched just once for the D-Backs during a week-long stint on the major league roster. He logged two innings in extras against Cincinnati on Saturday, taking the loss after balking in the game-winning run (who’d been automatically placed on second base). Crismatt’s performance in that outing was solid overall — he struck out three of eight opponents and the run was unearned — but he likely would’ve been unavailable for a day or two after throwing 34 pitches.

With Crismatt having exhausted his minor league options, the Snakes had to keep him in the majors or put him on waivers. It’s the second time this season in which a team has outrighted him, as the Padres also passed him through the wire in June. The right-hander elected free agency at the time and will have that right again.

Crismatt has only pitched 13 innings at the major league level this season, surrendering 12 earned runs. He’s just a season removed from turning in a 2.94 ERA with a solid 23.2% strikeout rate and lofty 50.5% grounder percentage in 67 1/3 frames for San Diego. His velocity is down a couple ticks relative to last year, though, and he surrendered nearly seven earned runs per nine in 24 2/3 frames with Reno before his brief stint on the D-Backs’ roster.

Diamondbacks Designate Nabil Crismatt, Select Ryan Thompson

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The Diamondbacks announced that right-hander Nabil Crismatt has been designated for assignment.  The move opens 40-man and 26-man roster space for Ryan Thompson, as Arizona has selected Thompson’s contract from Triple-A.

Crismatt’s own contract was selected to the active roster just last week, and the righty threw two scoreless innings in yesterday’s game for his lone appearance in this stint with the D’Backs.  For the 2023 season as a whole, Crismatt has an 8.31 ERA over 13 innings with Arizona and San Diego, as Crismatt selected free agency after being DFA’ed and then outrighted by the Padres back in June.  Catching on the Diamondbacks on another minors contract, Crismatt at least made it back to the big leagues for one game but now might be on the move again.

Should Crismatt again clear waivers, he still has the right to elect free agency rather than an accept an outright assignment to Triple-A Reno.  It isn’t necessarily the case that Crismatt will pursue this route again after choosing to leave the Padres, as there are any number of reasons Crismatt might be more comfortable biding his time with the Diamondbacks’ top affiliate.  September roster expansion could provide another opportunity in due course, or Crismatt might get another look simply by dint of how the D’Backs have been cycling through many relievers this season in search of any bullpen stability.

This search for relievers led the Diamondbacks to a minor league deal with Thompson earlier this week.  The Rays designated and subsequently released the right-hander this month, adding to a difficult season that included a 6.11 ERA over 17 2/3 innings and a recent minor elbow injury.

Arizona’s contract with Thompson had an August 28th opt-out date, so the clock was ticking on the team’s decision to bring him up to the Major League roster.  While the results haven’t been there for Thompson this season, he had a 3.17 ERA over 76 2/3 frames for Tampa Bay in 2021-22, making him an interesting acquisition for the D’Backs.  Thompson is also controllable through the 2026 season, so he is a potential long-term option for Arizona beyond how they might deploy him down the stretch.

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