NL West Notes: Diamondbacks, Yaz, Haniger, Luciano, Profar
In designating Carson Kelly for assignment earlier today, the Diamondbacks are a little short on catching depth, and GM Mike Hazen told reporters (including MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert) that the club was looking out for external catching options. Gabriel Moreno is the catcher of the present and future in Arizona, and beyond backup Jose Herrera, Ali Sanchez and Juan Centeno are the only other backstops in the organization with any Major League experience. Despite the situation, Hazen felt that “with five to six weeks to go, depth becomes less important than trying to put the best [team] on the field….When we had the roster construction in the first half of the season with Gabi and Herrera, we played really well. I don’t know that that is going to be the secret formula to getting back to the way we were before, I don’t think that’s anyone’s expectation, but that was the choice we had, to send Herrera down or make this move. We decided to make this move.”
Today’s victory over the Padres brought the D’Backs back up to a .500 (59-59) record, though the club is only 10-25 since the start of July. Between this slide and the Dodgers catching fire, the D’Backs went from leading the NL West to trailing Los Angeles by 12.5 games, and the Snakes are also 2.5 games back of a wild card position. While any number of factors have contributed to Arizona’s struggles, a lack of pitching has been the biggest culprit, and the D’Backs will now “take some risks and play it by ear, week by week” with their rotation, according to Hazen. Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, and Brandon Pfaadt will continue to operate as traditional starters, but the team be open to using bullpen games, piggyback starters, or opener/bulk pitcher setups for the remaining two rotation spots until Zach Davies is back from the 15-day injured list to take one of the spots.
Some other notes from around the NL West…
- Mike Yastrzemski has been on the Giants‘ 10-day IL since July 31 recovering from a hamstring strain, but the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser writes that the outfielder is close to being activated. Yastrzemski had a live batting practice session on Saturday and has been running the bases at full speed, so it doesn’t appear as though he’ll need any minor league rehab work. With Yastrzemski possibly returning on Monday, Slusser speculates that the Giants might option Luis Matos to Triple-A, since Heliot Ramos has been hitting well as of late.
- In other Giants injury updates, Mitch Haniger could soon begin a minor league rehab assignment, and Slusser estimates that he might return to the majors in around two weeks’ time. Haniger hasn’t played since June 13 due to forearm surgery, continuing his unfortunate recent history of injury-shortened seasons. The news isn’t as good for Marco Luciano, as the top prospect will sidelined for at least a month due to a hamstring strain. Luciano made his MLB debut with a four-game cameo with the Giants in July, as the team needed an extra infielder to help solve some depth issues. Over 292 combined plate appearances at Double-A and Triple-A in 2023, Luciano has hit .231/.336/.445 with 13 home runs.
- Jurickson Profar suffered what the Rockies described as a twisted left knee in today’s game, which forced Profar to make an early exit. Profar had to collide with the left field ball to make a running catch on a Mookie Betts fly ball, and Profar was in obvious discomfort afterwards. Colorado manager Bud Black told reporters (including Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post) that Profar had already been dealing with a sore left knee even prior to today’s injury, and the outfielder will undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the problem.
Diamondbacks Select Bryce Jarvis, Designate Carson Kelly for Assignment
The Arizona Diamondbacks announced several roster moves on Sunday morning, headlined by the promotion of pitching prospect Bryce Jarvis. The Diamondbacks selected his contract from Triple-A Reno, designating catcher Carson Kelly for assignment in a corresponding move. They also reinstated catcher Gabriel Moreno from the 10-day injured list and optioned starting pitcher Ryne Nelson to Triple-A.
Jarvis, Arizona’s first-round pick in the 2020 draft, will be making his MLB debut. He is a top-30 prospect in the D-backs’ system, according to Baseball America (18th) and MLB Pipeline (29th).
The Duke University product made a solid first impression in 2021, tossing 75 1/3 innings across three levels. He had particular success at High-A Hillsboro, posting a 3.62 ERA in seven starts. However, he struggled following his promotion to Double-A Amarillo: his walk rate rose, his home run rate doubled, and his ERA ballooned to 5.66. He remained in Double-A the following season, where his struggles only intensified. Walks and home runs continued to cause him trouble, and his opponents were having more success on balls in play. He finished with a ghastly 8.27 ERA in 25 starts.
Nevertheless, Jarvis earned a promotion to Triple-A in April 2023. Free passes remained a problem for him at Reno, where he walked more than 11% of the batters he faced, but he got his home run rate in check, and his ERA came down to a more respectable 5.40 in 16 starts.
In late July, Jarvis transitioned to a bullpen role, a temporary change to address an area of need within the organization. The 25-year-old told Michael McDermott of Inside the Diamondbacks that there are still “long-term plans” for him to be a starter, but “for the rest of this year,” the team needed him more in the bullpen.
That being that case, it’s unlikely Jarvis will be taking Nelson’s spot in the rotation. With Nelson at Triple-A, the Diamondbacks only have three starting pitchers on the 26-man roster: Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, and Brandon Pfaadt. However, Zach Davies is expected to return from the IL shortly, and Slade Cecconi could rejoin the rotation as well. Cecconi, the team’s No. 14 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, made a start on August 2 before moving to the bullpen. He has only made a single appearance out of the ‘pen in that time. Prior to his call-up, he made 20 starts at Triple-A Reno, pitching to a 6.38 ERA.
Nelson has been sturdy for Arizona this season; he is tied for third in the National League in starts and 21st in innings pitched. That said, he has a 7.60 ERA and 5.49 SIERA in his last seven starts, and the Diamondbacks have lost five of those seven games. Neither Cecconi nor Jarvis is a surefire upgrade over Nelson, but the D-backs certainly needed to shake things up. Before yesterday’s victory over the Padres, they had lost their last nine games. Their pitching staff has a 4.93 ERA in August, and they have been outscored 46-23.
Moreno’s return should give the pitching staff another much-needed boost. His offensive performance has been underwhelming in his first season with the Diamondbacks, but he has done well behind the dish. His 9 Defensive Runs Saved are tied for fifth among catchers. Meanwhile, his pitch framing doesn’t grade out particularly well (33rd percentile, per Baseball Savant), but he has still been a more valuable framer than Kelly (22nd percentile) and Jose Herrera (3rd percentile), who have covered behind the dish since Moreno hit the IL on July 23.
As for Kelly, 29, it’s not a shock to see him cut from the roster based on his recent results but it’s a significant development from a wider lens. He was once a top 100 prospect with the Cardinals and was one of the prospects that came to Arizona in the Paul Goldschmidt trade, along with Luke Weaver and Andrew Young. The former was flipped to the Royals last year for Emmanuel Rivera, who was optioned to the minors yesterday, while Young was lost to the Nationals in the minor league portion of the 2021 Rule 5 draft.
Kelly was once hoped to be the club’s catcher of the future and he showed well in his first season in the desert. He hit 18 home runs in 2019 and walked in 13.2% of his plate appearances, leading to a .245/.348/.478 batting line and 107 wRC+. But since then, he’s hit just .225/.303/.366, including a line of .226/.283/.298 this year. He could have been retained for one more season via arbitration, owed a raise on this year’s $4.275M M salary, but the D’Backs have decided to move on instead.
Today’s move means that none of the three players from the Goldschmidt trade remain on the roster. The transaction tree is technically still alive thanks to the presence of Rivera, but the deal looks unquestionably disappointing in retrospect. The club will put Kelly on waivers in coming days and he will almost certainly clear, given his salary and recent performance. Since he has over five years of service time, he will have the ability to reject an outright assignment while retaining all of his salary. The Diamondbacks will remain on the hook for that, allowing another club to sign him and pay him only the prorated league minimum, with that amount subtracted from what the Diamondbacks pay.
Diamondbacks Designate Kristian Robinson For Assignment
The Diamondbacks announced that they have selected the contract of infielder Buddy Kennedy. In corresponding moves, they optioned infielder Emmanuel Rivera and designated outfielder Kristian Robinson for assignment.
Robinson hit .271/.384/.452 in 185 combined plate appearances at three different minor league levels — a game of rookie ball, 32 games at A-level Visalla and 10 games at high-A Hillsboro. It marked his first on-field action since the 2019 season, as Robinson had been on the restricted list for almost three years. Back in May, MLBTR’s Anthony Franco detailed the legal and visa hurdles that stalled Robinson’s career, stemming from an April 2020 incident that initially resulted in Robinson pleading guilty to a felony assault charge. The charge was reduced to a misdemeanor if Robinson completed an 18-month probation period, and while that probation period was up in the spring, Robinson had to essentially put his baseball career on hold until its completion.
Though Robinson’s numbers in the minors are pretty solid, and he is only a couple of years removed from top-100 prospect status, the D’Backs are willing to move on from the 22-year-old outfielder. Claiming Robinson would require a 40-man roster spot from an interested team, but it would seem like someone will certainly take a flier on a player with his pedigree. That said, it would stand to reason that Arizona might’ve shopped Robinson on the trade market while opting for the DFA, but apparently didn’t find any acceptable offers. Because Robinson was on the 40-man roster, he is ineligible to be dealt after the trade deadline.
Rivera’s .267/.311/.376 slash line over 238 PA doesn’t quite tell the whole story of the infielder’s season, as Rivera got off to a blazing start and started getting regular duty at third base in place of Evan Longoria and Josh Rojas. However, Rivera has markedly slowed down at the plate, with only a .519 OPS in his last 123 PA. With Rivera sent to Triple-A to regroup, Longoria on the 10-day injured list, and Rojas traded to the Mariners as part of the Paul Sewald deal, utilityman Jace Peterson and Kennedy now look like the starting platoon at third base.
Kennedy was a fifth-round pick for the Diamondbacks in the 2017 draft, and he made his MLB debut last season in the form of 30 games and 94 plate appearances (hitting .217/.287/.325). The D’Backs outrighted him off the 40-man roster after the season and he has been tearing up Triple-A pitching in 2023, hitting .318/.447/.480 over 407 PA with Triple-A Reno with five homers and 22 doubles.
Most of Kennedy’s professional playing time has come as a third baseman, though he logged a lot of innings at second base and gotten some work at first base and left field. It could be that Kennedy will just be a stopgap until Longoria is able to return, but it represents another move at a position that has been a problem area for the Diamondbacks all season. The revolving door at third base is just one of many issues for a struggling Arizona team that is 8-25 since the start of July, and currently mired in a nine-game losing streak.
Diamondbacks Sign Aaron Sanchez To Minor League Deal
The D-Backs signed veteran right-hander Aaron Sanchez to a minor league deal, according to an announcement from their Triple-A club in Reno. He’s making his organizational debut with the Aces tonight.
Sanchez was released by the Twins a few weeks ago. The 31-year-old had spent the year with Minnesota’s top minor league club, working 73 innings over 18 appearances. Sanchez struggled to a 5.30 ERA with a modest 16.8% strikeout percentage and a massive 15.6% walk rate. That unsurprisingly wasn’t enough to crack a Minnesota rotation that has been one of the best in the majors.
While this year’s results are poor, Sanchez managed a solid 3.75 ERA in 13 Triple-A starts a season ago. He couldn’t carry that over in a few stints in Minnesota, where he surrendered a 6.60 ERA over 60 MLB frames. Sanchez has been up-and-down as a depth option for a few teams in recent seasons, settling in as a journeyman since winning the AL ERA title with the Blue Jays back in 2016. Sanchez’s velocity is down from those halcyon days due to intervening injuries, but he’s an experienced depth option who still induces a decent number of grounders.
Arizona has been in a free fall over the past six weeks. After leading the NL West for a good chunk of the first half, they’re 8-23 since the start of July. An ongoing seven-game losing streak has dropped them to 57-57, the first time they’ve been .500 since April 7.
An unsettled rotation behind Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly has been a big reason for that. Brandon Pfaadt and Ryne Nelson haven’t pitched well, while Zach Davies and Tommy Henry are on the injured list. With the deadline past, minor league deals of this ilk are the club’s clearest way to add rotation depth. Despite their dismal recent run, the D-Backs are still just two games back of the final National League Wild Card spot.
Diamondbacks Re-Sign Nabil Crismatt To Minor League Deal
The D-backs have re-signed right-handed reliever Nabil Crismatt to a minor league pact, per their team transaction log. Crismatt, who opted out of a minor league deal earlier this month, will return on a new arrangement after just six days on the open market.
Crismatt, 28, was released by the D-backs last week but quickly re-upped on a new minor league pact and already returned to their Triple-A club last night, tossing four innings and yielding four runs in his third start of the season. He’d spent the bulk of the year pitching in the bullpen — frequently in two-inning stints — but has made his past three appearances as a starting pitcher. The transition hasn’t been a smooth one, as after a sharp first outing (five innings, one run against the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate) he’s since been tagged for 13 runs in 7 1/3 frames.
That rough patch out of the rotation has sent his ERA ballooning north of 7.00, although Crismatt has a much better track record than that — particularly in the big leagues. From 2020-22, the right-hander logged 157 innings of 3.38 ERA ball between the Cardinals and Padres, fanning 21.8% of his opponents against a strong 7.1% walk rate. Crismatt also excelled at keeping the ball in the yard (0.97 HR/9) and on the ground (50.5%) during that stretch.
The 2023 season has been a nightmare both in the big leagues and in the minors, however. Crismatt was rocked for a 9.82 ERA in 11 innings with San Diego prior to being released this year. His 7.76 ERA in 31 1/3 Triple-A frames is only marginally better, but he’ll get another chance to get back on track with the D-backs’ top affiliate as he looks to rediscover that solid 2020-22 form.
Diamondbacks, Tyler Chatwood Agree To Minor League Deal
The D-backs and veteran righty Tyler Chatwood are in agreement on a minor league contract, per team’s transaction log at MLB.com. Chatwood, an Excel Sports client, signed his deal yesterday and got right to work, tossing an inning for the organization’s Rookie-level affiliate in the Arizona Complex League.
Presumably, that’ll be a short stay at that level for Chatwood as he builds up arm strength. The right-hander was with the Pirates organization earlier this year but was released in mid-June and hasn’t pitched since. Once he has a few innings under his belt, he’ll likely move up to Triple-A Reno.
Chatwood, 33, pitched ten minor league innings with Pittsburgh earlier this season but walked more batters (eight) than he struck out in that short time. A veteran with a decade-long big league career under his belt, he’s pitched to a 4.45 ERA in 878 2/3 innings at the MLB level, punching out 17.2% of his opponents against a 12% walk rate and 53.9% ground-ball rate. He hasn’t pitched in the Majors since 2021, however, and he’s posted an ERA north of 5.00 in three of his past four big league seasons. From 2018-21, Chatwood worked to a combined 4.83 ERA and walked a massive 15.6% of his opponents.
While the recent track record is shaky, Chatwood averaged 96 mph on his heater from 2019-21, has a long history of inducing grounders at a high rate and upped his strikeout rate considerably in his last two big league seasons (27.3%). The D-backs shuffled their bullpen mix at the deadline, acquiring Paul Sewald but also sending veteran Andrew Chafin to the Brewers in a trade for younger righty Peter Strzelecki. Chatwood will add another fresh face to the depth chart, though there’s obviously no guarantee of him ever pitching with the big league club. He’ll need to pitch his way up to the Majors, but there’s little harm in the Diamondbacks taking a chance on a hard-throwing veteran in this manner.
Rays Claim Cole Sulser
The Rays announced this afternoon that they had claimed right-hander Cole Sulser off waivers from the Diamondbacks. The Rays had an open space on their 40-man roster following the cash deal that sent right-hander Luis Patino to the White Sox prior to the trade deadline earlier this week. Sulser was designated for assignment as part of a series of roster moves on the day of the deadline.
The move reunites Sulser with Tampa Bay, where he made his major league debut back in 2019 with 7 1/3 scoreless innings of work during which he struck out 9 and walked 3 while surrendering five hits. That solid debut didn’t stop the Rays from designating Sulser for assignment at the end of the 2019 campaign, at which point he was claimed off waivers by the Orioles. He struggled in Baltimore during the shortened 2020 campaign but broke out in a big way in 2021 with a 2.70 ERA (166 ERA+) and 2.98 FIP in 63 1/3 innings of work. Those strong ratios were backed up by a excellent 28.4% strikeout rate against a walk rate of 8.9%.
Since his 2021 breakout, however, Sulser has struggled during his time in the majors. In 39 1/3 innings of work split between the Marlins and Diamondbacks the last two seasons, the righty has managed just a 5.49 ERA, with a 5.09 FIP that offers little optimism regarding his underlying performance. Meanwhile, his once-strong strikeout rate has dipped to a more pedestrian 24.4% while his walk rate has spiked to 11%. When those issues are combined with a whopping 20.5% of his fly balls leaving the yard for home runs the past two seasons, it’s easy to see why the Diamondbacks made the decision to move on from Sulser.
That being said, Susler fits the mold of an optionable relief arm that the Rays frequently covet, and has had previous big league success, including during his previous time with the organization. What’s more, Sulser’s downturn in production in recent seasons has coincided with lat and shoulder injuries that have sidelined him for much of the past two seasons. If the Sulser is fully healthy again, it would hardly be a surprise to see him return to being a quality relief arm as a member of the Rays down the stretch. Should he join the big league bullpen immediately, he figures to cover the middle innings for the Rays alongside the likes of Robert Stephenson and Kevin Kelly.
Diamondbacks Select Slade Cecconi
The Diamondbacks announced that they have selected the contract of Slade Cecconi. Righty Austin Adams was placed on the 60-day injured list with a fractured right ankle as the corresponding move.
Cecconi, a 6’4″ righty, gets his first big league call. Arizona selected him in the supplemental first round (33rd overall) three years ago coming out of the University of Miami. He’s moved one level at a time since beginning his pro career at High-A in 2021. Cecconi posted a 4.37 ERA with a 22.4% strikeout rate in 129 2/3 Double-A frames last season.
He’s had a harder time this year, which is a reflection of the brutal Pacific Coast League setting for pitchers. Hitters have connected on 23 home runs through 103 innings, contributing to an unsightly 6.38 ERA. Cecconi’s 23.1% strikeout percentage and 6.4% walk rate are each solid and in line from his prior marks at the Double-A level.
The 24-year-old is one of the better prospects in a deep Arizona system. Eric Longenhangen of FanGraphs ranked him 9th in the organization in mid-June. He checked in 11th on Baseball America’s recent refresh of the Snakes’ system. Both outlets credit him with solid control and a well-rounded arsenal headlined by an above-average to plus slider. BA writes that Cecconi has had trouble maintaining the quality of his stuff into the middle innings, though it seems he generally has the tools to stick in the back of a rotation.
Cecconi will take the ball tonight in San Francisco, opposing Logan Webb in his MLB debut. Whether he’ll stick in the rotation beyond this evening remains to be seen. Arizona had sought rotation help on the trade market but didn’t pull off an acquisition before the deadline. As a result, they’re left with varying degrees of uncertainty behind Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly.
Adams, a 32-year-old reliever, has made 24 appearances for the Snakes this season. He’s worked 17 1/3 innings, allowing 12 runs despite a quality 22:8 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Adams has previously pitched for the Nationals, Mariners and Padres and carries a 4.17 ERA through 114 1/3 big league innings. He’s struck out nearly a third of opponents but has walked almost 15% of batters faced and led the majors in hit batsmen with San Diego two seasons ago.
It’s possible the unfortunate ankle fracture will end his time as a D-Back. He’ll almost certainly miss the rest of the season. Arizona can control Adams for another year via arbitration but he seems likely to be non-tendered.
D-backs Grant Zach McAllister His Release
The Diamondbacks granted right-hander Zach McAllister his release from their Triple-A affiliate in Reno, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes reports. He’d been with the Aces all season and is now a free agent.
McAllister, 35, hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2018. He spent six years as a steady back-of-the-rotation starter and then middle reliever in Cleveland, pitching to a combined 3.84 ERA with a 21.4% strikeout rate and 8% walk rate in 529 innings of work. McAllister fell off quickly, however; he was rocked for a 6.20 ERA in 45 frames during the 2018 season and hasn’t pitched at the MLB level since.
McAllister had brief stints with the Triple-A affiliates for the Dodgers (2019) and Phillies (2021) but didn’t reach 15 innings in either of those seasons. He tossed 67 2/3 frames of 3.99 ERA ball with the Cardinals’ top minor league club last year, striking out 30% of his opponents along the way, and has a 4.93 ERA in 38 1/3 Triple-A innings with Reno this season. It’s an ugly number on the surface, though it’s worth pointing out just how hitter-friendly the Pacific Coast League is; nearly two-thirds of PCL pitchers with 30 or more innings this year have an ERA north of 5.00. McAllister has again fanned 30% of his opponents in 2023, although his 11.2% walk rate leaves plenty to be desired.
With the D-backs not giving him a look before today’s out date, the veteran righty will head back to the market in search of a new opportunity with a club in clearer need of bullpen depth.
D-Backs Acquire Tommy Pham
The Diamondbacks acquired outfielder Tommy Pham and cash considerations from the Mets. New York received minor league infielder Jeremy Rodriguez in return. The Mets are reportedly paying down half the money that remains on Pham’s deal.
Pham got off to a relatively slow start after signing with the Mets over the offseason. He hit only .196/.283/.348 through the end of April, leading to some speculation the Mets could cut into his playing time. The veteran put that behind him and has been one of the league’s better hitters since the start of May.
Over the past three months, the 35-year-old is hitting .286/.365/.503. He’s up to a .268/.348/.472 line in 264 plate appearances overall. Pham has connected on 10 home runs, walked at a strong 11% clip and kept his strikeouts to a decent 21.2% rate. It’s easily his best offensive showing in four years, more or less a return to his peak form.
A right-handed hitter, Pham has done the bulk of his damage against left-handed pitching through the course of his career. He has had more balanced results in 2023, posting a .255/.339/.532 line versus southpaws and a .277/.355/.431 showing against right-handed pitching. That kind of production fits well in the middle of a batting order.
Pham’s bat is his calling card. He has started five games in center field this year but is primarily a left fielder. Public metrics have pegged him as a slightly below-average defender for the past few seasons. It’s been a similar story through 395 2/3 innings this year.
The Mets have dramatically reshaped the roster within the past week. They’ve been expected to listen to offers on rentals, but the magnitude of their sell-off has outstretched expectations. The deals of Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander represent a massive change in direction for the organization. Moving shorter-term role players like Pham is relatively small in comparison.
Pham received a $1MM signing bonus and is playing this season on a $5MM salary. He’s due roughly $1.64MM from now through the end of the season, with each club picking up around $800K. He’ll tack on a good chunk more in incentives. Pham has already triggered $400K in bonuses and will earn another $200K for every 25 plate appearances between 275 and 450.
Arizona has a number of young outfielders at the major league level. Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas and Jake McCarthy all hit from the left side. Thomas hasn’t produced much offensively in his career, while McCarthy has slumped to a .251/.326/.346 line through 75 games after a promising 2022 campaign. Arizona brought in Kyle Lewis and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in offseason trades to balance the outfield. Lewis has spent most of his time in Triple-A; Gurriel got off to a torrid start in the desert but has just a .180/.225/.337 line since the beginning of June.
The Pham acquisition presumably pushes Gurriel into more of a bench/designated hitter role. The D-Backs have rotated a number of players through the DH spot to keep them fresh throughout the season.
Rodriguez is a 17-year-old infielder from the Dominican Republic. The Snakes signed him for $1.25MM just a few months ago. Ben Badler of Baseball America praised his left-handed swing and infield actions in reviewing Arizona’s international signing class. Rodriguez is nowhere close to the majors but resents another upside lottery play for New York, a similar mold to the two players they acquired from the Marlins for David Robertson last week.
Andy Martino of SNY first reported the Diamondbacks were acquiring Pham. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported the Mets would get Rodriguez in return. Tim Britton of the Athletic reported the cash considerations.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.