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Diamondbacks Place Justin Martínez On IL With UCL Sprain

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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 Designate Joe Mantiply For Assignment

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The Diamondbacks announced a series of roster moves today, most of which were previously reported. They have selected right-hander Jeff Brigham and signed infielder Ildemaro Vargas. To open active roster spots for those two, infielder Jordan Lawlar and right-hander Kevin Ginkel have been optioned to Triple-A Reno. The club had one open 40-man roster spot but opened a second by designating left-hander Joe Mantiply for assignment.

Mantiply, 34, has fallen on hards time here in 2025 after a strong performance in previous seasons. From 2021 to 2024, he logged 198 1/3 innings with the Diamondbacks, allowing 3.63 earned runs per nine. His 22% strikeout rate in that time was around average but he only walked 6% of batters faced and kept 51.9% of balls in play on the ground. He racked up three saves and 50 holds in that span.

But this year, he allowed 13 earned runs in his first 7 1/3 innings. He was optioned down to Reno in mid-April while sporting an ERA of 15.95. He was recalled briefly a couple of weeks ago and allowed four more earned runs in 2 1/3 innings before getting optioned down again. He currently has an ugly 15.83 ERA on the year, though in a small sample of 9 2/3 innings.

There’s surely some bad luck in there, with his .512 batting average on balls in play and 56.5% strand rate both far to the unfortunate side of things. However, his strikeout rate has also dropped to 13.8% this year and he’s only been getting grounders at a 43.2% clip.

Those struggles have apparently been enough for him to lose his 40-man spot. He now heads into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Snakes could spend up to five days exploring trade interest.

Other clubs might be willing to look past this year’s struggles but MLB teams are generally loath to take on money via midseason pickups, even relatively small amounts. Joel Payamps, like Mantiply, is a pitcher with some recent success but having a bad year. He recently passed through waivers, with no club willing to take on what remains of his $2.995MM salary.

Mantiply is making $1.7MM this year, barely half of what Payamps is making. He is also left-handed and can be optioned to the minors, whereas Payamps is a righty and out of options. On the other hand, Mantiply is three years older. The next few days will tell if Mantiply can find a club willing to take him on.

If he goes unclaimed, he will likely stick with the D’Backs as non-roster depth. Players with at least three years of major league service time have the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency. However, players with less than five years of service have to forfeit any remaining salary in order to exercise that right. Mantiply is shy of the five-year mark and would therefore probably accept an outright assignment, in order to keep that salary coming to him.

Photo courtesy of John Hefti, Imagn Images

Diamondbacks To Select Jeff Brigham

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The Diamondbacks are planning to select the contract of right-hander Jeff Brigham, per a report from John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports. Righty Kevin Ginkel will be optioned as the corresponding active roster move. Arizona technically has an open 40-man roster spot at present but is also going to sign Ildemaro Vargas, per an earlier report. They will therefore need to open one 40-man spot with the two planned additions.

Brigham, 33, signed a minor league deal with the Snakes in the offseason. Since then, he has been putting up some intriguing numbers for the Triple-A Reno Aces, who play in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. In 20 2/3 innings, he has a 5.23 earned run average, which is obviously not a great figure. However, his 37.2% strikeout rate is very impressive. His 10.5% walk rate is high but not drastically so. He allowed five home runs in that span, a rate of 25% per fly ball, which could have played a part in juicing the ERA.

The Diamondbacks are seemingly taking a chance that the home run rate could normalize in the majors, which could allow him to be a serviceable arm. He already has 117 1/3 innings of big league experience, mostly with the Marlins but he also spent a bit of time with the Mets. Overall, he has a 4.76 ERA, 24% strikeout rate and 10.9% walk rate.

He will take the spot of Ginkel, who is having a nightmare season after spending the previous three campaigns as a key cog in the Arizona bullpen. From 2022 to 2024, he tossed 164 2/3 innings for the Snakes with a 2.95 ERA, 26.5% strikeout rate and 7.3% walk rate. He earned 10 saves and 29 holds in that time frame. Here in 2025, he started the season on the 15-day IL due to some shoulder inflammation. He was reinstated at the end of April and has since allowed 14 earned runs in 10 innings, giving him an unsightly 12.60 ERA.

He surely hasn’t been quite that bad, as his .444 batting average on balls in play and 41.7% strand rate are both far to the unfortunate side. His 28.8% strikeout rate and 44.8% ground ball rate are both actually slightly higher than last year. However, he hasn’t done himself favors with a 13.5% walk rate. Even accounting for some bad luck, ERA estimators like his 5.07 FIP suggest he hasn’t been super effective, though SIERA is far kinder with a 3.55 mark. His velocity is down a bit relative to last year but has been creeping up since he came off the IL.

The Snakes will give him a breather and try to get him back on track. Per Gambadoro, the Diamondbacks want him to work on his fastball command. How long that takes could potentially have impacts for Ginkel personally. He came into this year with four years and 33 days of service time. A full year in the big leagues would have got him to 5.033, but there’s now a chance he comes up short of the five-year mark if this turns into a lengthy optional assignment.

That would delay his path to free agency but it’s also possible he winds up as a non-tender candidate if he doesn’t get back on track. He’s making $2.425MM this year with the Snakes and would be due a raise via arbitration this winter, though the D’Backs would only be keen to do that if he has a strong second half.

Photo courtesy of Allan Henry, Imagn Images

The D-backs’ Closing Competition

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The Diamondbacks entered the offseason in search of a new first baseman, a closer and some right-handed thump in the lineup, among other items on the to-do list. They’ve broadly succeeded, acquiring Josh Naylor from the Guardians to replace free agent Christian Walker and re-signing Randal Grichuk. The Snakes haven’t found a slam-dunk closer, but they signed a new (co) ace, shocking the industry with their signing of Corbin Burnes for six years and $210MM.

While there’s still one marquee free agent reliever on the market — David Robertson has yet to sign — it appears increasingly likely that the Diamondbacks will largely go with the arms who are already in camp as they look to sort out the ninth inning. Arizona’s payroll is already projected for a franchise-record $195MM. That’s a new highwater mark by a measure of nearly $30MM. We can always adopt the “never say never” mentality as long as there are a few viable closing options on the free agent and trade markets, but the D-backs may already have their closer in house. At present, A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez appear to be the front-runners.

Puk, acquired at the deadline from the Marlins in exchange for young slugger Deyvison De Los Santos and outfielder Andrew Pintar, enjoyed a quietly dominant season in 2024. His cumulative 3.15 ERA looks more good than great, but it’s skewed by a failed experiment wherein the Marlins tried to stretch him back out as a starter early in the season. Puk was clobbered for 17 runs in 13 2/3 innings. He moved back to the bullpen, and from that point forth was arguably the best reliever in the sport.

After giving up 17 earned runs in his four starts, Puk only allowed 11 more earned runs for the entire season. He posted a 1.72 ERA out of the bullpen in 2024, fanning a colossal 35% of his opponents against a terrific 5.1% walk rate. Opponents averaged only 86.6 mph off the bat against him in that time with a middling 32.6% hard-hit rate. Per Statcast, only five of his opponents’ batted balls in that time were barreled. Puk allowed a run in his second appearance with the D-backs and then went on a run for the ages, rattling off 23 2/3 scoreless innings with a 38-to-4 K/BB ratio. He punched out 44.7% of opponents in that career-best run.

Martinez was nearly as dominant for the early portion of the 2024 season. The young flamethrower posted a 1.60 ERA with a 27.5% strikeout rate and mammoth 64.5% grounder rate in his first 50 innings of work. His exit velocity and hard-hit rate were nearly identical to Puk’s marks as a reliever. An 11.5% walk rate was in clear need of improvement, but for a 22-year-old who averaged better than 100 mph on both his four-seamer and sinker, it’s hard to draw up a more promising start.

That run of dominance didn’t last the full season, however. While Martinez remained a solid reliever, his 3.90 ERA over the final 27 2/3 innings of his season was far less eye-catching. The young righty’s strikeout rate actually ticked up during that span, perhaps due to roughly doubling the usage of his four-seamer at the expense of his sinker, but his grounder rate fell sharply. There was surely some poor fortune in play, as Martinez was hampered by a .388 BABIP during this stretch despite continuing to limit hard contact (and allowing only one home run).

Whether in the ninth inning or working in a setup capacity, both Puk and Martinez will be in high-leverage roles this season. They were two of the D-backs’ top five arms in terms of their average leverage index — but not the top two. Paul Sewald’s departure in free agency subtracted one of Arizona’s top leverage arms, but it was actually righty Ryan Thompson who found himself most frequently in high-leverage spots, followed by Martinez and then by fellow righty Kevin Ginkel.

The 32-year-old Thompson isn’t the prototypical power arm often associated with pressure-packed, late-inning situations. He’s a sidearming righty who averages just 91 mph on his sinker and 92.5 mph on his lesser-used four-seamer. Thompson’s 19.1% strikeout rate was well below the 23.4% league average among relievers. However, he boasts a 61% grounder rate, rarely issues walks (5.5%) and posted nearly identical results versus righties (.254/.299/.377) and lefties (.254/.293/.377). He picked up two saves and 24 holds.

Ginkel, 30, has quietly emerged as a key arm in Phoenix. He was never a top prospect and didn’t truly establish himself as a reliable reliever until his age-28 season, in 2022. Over the past three seasons, he’s tossed 164 2/3 innings with a 2.95 ERA. It’s not necessarily flashy, as Ginkel is more good-than-great in terms of strikeout rate (26.5%), walk rate (7.3%), swinging-strike rate (12.5%), ground-ball rate (47.1%) and fastball velocity (96 mph average) in that time. Even with the lack of one standout area in which he truly excels, his above-average rates across the board have made him a consistent and reliable late-inning option for manager Torey Lovullo.

Also entering the mix is 34-year-old Kendall Graveman, who signed a one-year, $1.35MM deal after missing the 2024 season due to shoulder surgery. With 24 saves and 56 holds from 2020-23, Graveman is no stranger to late-inning work. After moving to the bullpen in Sept. 2020 with the Mariners, Graveman rattled off 197 1/3 innings with a 2.78 ERA, 24% strikeout rate, 10.3% walk rate and 49.2% grounder rate. At his best, Graveman averaged better than 96 mph on his heater and offered a Ginkel-esque blend of above-average strikeout, walk and ground-ball rates while sitting around 96 mph with his main offering. Whether he can return to that form in the wake of last year’s shoulder surgery is an open question.

However it shakes out, the Snakes look to have a solid quintet of arms rounding out the late-inning group at Chase Field. Lefty Joe Mantiply offers a solid middle-inning complement who has picked up around 12 holds per year over the past four seasons. A starter who doesn’t make the rotation (e.g. Jordan Montgomery, Ryne Nelson) could hold down another spot. Bryce Jarvis, Kyle Nelson and non-roster candidates like Shelby Miller, Scott McGough, John Curtiss and Josh Winder (among others) will vie for what’s likely one open spot.

There’s enough left on both the trade and free agent markets that it’s not impossible to envision a change still impacting Lovullo’s bullpen composition. Signing Robertson might be too pricey, likely pushing the D-backs into $200MM+ payroll territory for the first time, but if GM Mike Hazen ultimately finds a trade partner for Montgomery, any savings could make Robertson feel likelier. The Padres have been open to offers on Robert Suarez. Trading within the division probably isn’t either team’s first choice, though. A Ryan Helsley trade before next offseason feels virtually inevitable but also seems likelier to happen in-season at this point.

In any bullpen, there’s almost always room for one more addition. But, if this is the group the D-backs take into the season, they can still feel good about an impressive breadth of experienced late-inning arms who have the makings of a strong overall unit.

Diamondbacks Still Involved In Free Agent Relief Market

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The Diamondbacks have pursued late-inning help all offseason. Arizona’s lone major league bullpen pickup was their waiver claim of Seth Martinez from Houston. The Snakes let Paul Sewald walk in free agency, leaving them without much in the way of experienced closers.

General manager Mike Hazen told reporters this afternoon that any late-offseason bullpen pickup is likelier to come by way of free agency than trade (relayed by Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports). The bullpen market has moved rapidly over the past four or five weeks. David Robertson stands as the top unsigned reliever. He has ample experience as both a closer and setup man. Robertson will be limited to a one-year deal at age 40, though he could command an eight-figure guarantee after posting an even 3.00 earned run average while striking out a third of opponents across 72 innings for the Rangers.

There are a handful of other free agent relievers who still seem likely to land big league deals. Kyle Finnegan, Andrew Chafin, and Phil Maton should all get major league contracts. Buck Farmer, Lucas Sims, Héctor Neris and injury returnees Kendall Graveman and Keynan Middleton are all unsigned. Craig Kimbrel has the most closing experience of any free agent, though he’s coming off a dismal season with the Orioles.

If the Diamondbacks don’t add anyone from that group, the ninth inning could be up for grabs in camp. Manager Torey Lovullo said yesterday that he’d prefer having an established closer but is “not going to force it” if a committee approach works better (link via Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic). Lovullo listed A.J. Puk, Justin Martinez and Kevin Ginkel as in-house candidates to close.

Puk was utterly dominant after the D-Backs acquired him from the Marlins at last summer’s deadline. The southpaw fired 27 1/3 innings of 1.32 ERA ball while striking out nearly 42% of batters faced. Puk has had three straight seasons as an excellent late-game weapon. He didn’t close much last year but recorded 15 saves two seasons ago.

Martinez turned in a 2.48 ERA over 72 2/3 innings in his first full big league campaign. The righty punched out nearly 30% of batters faced with a massive 58.9% grounder percentage. His sinker landed north of 100 MPH on average, while opposing hitters had no success against his splitter. Martinez doesn’t have Puk’s multi-year track record but clearly has closing stuff. Ginkel turned in a 3.21 ERA with a strong 26.5% strikeout rate across 70 innings. While he seems likelier to stick in a setup capacity, the righty has been a reliable bullpen piece for the past three years.

Diamondbacks Place Merrill Kelly On IL, Option Joe Mantiply

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The Diamondbacks announced a series of roster moves today, with right-hander Merrill Kelly being placed on the 15-day injured list due to right calf inflammation, retroactive to June 25. They also optioned left-hander Joe Mantiply to Triple-A Reno. In corresponding moves, righties Kevin Ginkel and Justin Martinez were recalled from Reno.

At this point, it’s unclear how serious Kelly’s injury is, but it’s a notable loss for the club nonetheless. The Diamondbacks have a fairly top-heavy rotation with Kelly and Zac Gallen being the two most effective members. Gallen has an excellent 2.84 ERA on the year and Kelly isn’t far behind with a 3.22 mark. Then there’s a notable drop to the 4.31 ERA of Tommy Henry, the 4.97 of Ryne Nelson and the 7.82 of Zach Davies.

The Diamondbacks are leading the National League West but have a couple of clubs on their heels as each of the Dodgers and Giants are within three games. With the All-Star break now effectively two weeks away, they will have to forge ahead without Kelly for at least that long. Drey Jameson has been with the big league club in a long relief role and could perhaps step into the rotation. Brandon Pfaadt got some big league starts earlier this year but posted an 8.37 ERA in those before getting optioned back down. Konnor Pilkington is also on the 40-man but has been struggling in the minors this year.

As for Mantiply, he posted a 2.85 ERA last year and even got selected to the All-Star game but has taken a step back this year. He’s gone on the injured list a couple of times already, once due to left shoulder inflammation and another time for a right hamstring strain. Around those ailments, he’s tossed 15 2/3 innings with a 5.74 ERA. His peripherals are still pretty similar to last year’s as a 50.8% strand rate seems to be pushing his ERA up. Nonetheless, he now finds himself headed to Reno to get into a groove.

Martinez, 21, will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game. He served largely as a starting pitcher in the lower levels of the minors but required Tommy John surgery in 2021. After a long injury layoff and the minor leagues getting cancelled by the pandemic in 2020, he came back as a reliever last year. He tossed 38 innings across four different levels, finishing the year at Triple-A. He posted a 3.32 ERA in that time with an incredible 36.7% strikeout rate but 13% walk rate.

Despite the free passes, the club was intrigued enough to add him to the roster in November to prevent him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft. This year, he’s been in Triple-A, tossing 28 innings thus far. He has a 4.18 ERA, striking out 29.7% of opponents but with an astonishing 21.1% walk rate. Despite the control issues, he was recently ranked the club’s #21 prospect at Baseball America and #12 at FanGraphs.

Diamondbacks Designate Anthony Misiewicz For Assignment

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The Diamondbacks announced a series of roster moves today, reinstating catcher Carson Kelly from the 60-day injured list and left-hander Joe Mantiply from the 15-day injured list. In corresponding active roster moves, right-hander Kevin Ginkel and catcher José Herrera were optioned to Triple-A Reno. To open a spot for Kelly on the 40-man roster, left-hander Anthony Misiewicz was designated for assignment. Additionally, the club reinstated outfielder Kyle Lewis from the 10-day injured list and optioned him to Reno.

Misiewicz, 28, was acquired from the Cardinals in a cash deal right as the season was beginning. He has since bounced on and off the Diamondbacks’ roster, spending about three weeks on the injured list due to a calf strain while also being optioned several times. Amid all of that, he’s made seven appearances for the big league club with a 5.63 ERA.

That’s obviously a small sample size that’s come amid several interruptions and his larger track record is stronger. He’s made 126 total appearances in the majors now, dating back to the 2020 season. he has a 4.51 ERA overall with a 23.3% strikeout rate, 7.1% walk rate and 38% ground ball rate. In the minors this year, he’s tossed 13 2/3 innings with a 2.63 ERA, striking out 28.6% of opponents while walking 8.9%.

The Diamondbacks will now have a week to trade Misiewicz or pass him through waivers. Left-handed relief tends to always be in demand and Misiewicz has some good results on his ledger. He also has a couple of option years remaining, including this one, giving him plenty of roster flexibility. He also has between two and three years of major league service time, giving him plenty of club control as well. Given those factors, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him generate interest from one of the other clubs in the league. If he were to clear waivers, he would not have the right to elect free agency since he does not have a previous career outright or three years of service time.

He has lost his roster spot with Arizona in order for them to welcome back Kelly, who was hit by a pitch in Spring Training and fractured his forearm. That has kept him out of action for the entire season so far. The 28-year-old has been inconsistent in his career, alternating between good and bad seasons recently. He hit .245/.348/.478 in 2019, hitting 18 home runs and walking in 13.2% of his plate appearances. He had a rough showing in the shortened 2020 season by slashing .221/.264/.385 but bounced back with a .240/.343/.411 line in 2021. Last year, he dipped again and finished the campaign at .211/.282/.334.

That mercurial offense has come with generally reliable league average defense, however. His Defensive Runs Saved tally has been between +2 and -2 in each season of his career and his overall tally is exactly zero.

While he’s been out this year, most of the playing time behind the dish has gone to Gabriel Moreno. Acquired from the Blue Jays in the offseason, Moreno is having a decent campaign. His .280/.318/.366 line amounts to a wRC+ of 85 but he has +5 DRS. It will be interesting to see how the playing time is distributed going forward, as Moreno is the younger player and larger part of the club’s future but Kelly is the more experienced. Moreno is 23 years old and can be retained for five more seasons after this one while Kelly is a month away from turning 29 and has just one more year of club control remaining.

Diamondbacks Select Kevin Ginkel

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The D-Backs announced they’ve selected reliever Kevin Ginkel onto the major league roster before this evening’s game against the Guardians. They’ve also reinstated starter Zach Davies from the injured list and recalled designated hitter Seth Beer from Triple-A Reno. In a trio of active roster moves, they’ve placed left-hander Caleb Smith on the 15-day IL due to a hand fracture and optioned infielder Yonny Hernández and righty Corbin Martin.

Ginkel is joining the major league club for the first time this season. The righty was outrighted off the 40-man roster last November but stuck in the organization and has spent the season with Triple-A Reno. He’s excelled there, working to a sparkling 1.17 ERA across 30 2/3 innings. He’s punched out an excellent 36.6% of opposing hitters against a manageable 9.8% walk rate, numbers that eventually earned another deserved look in the big leagues.

The 28-year-old hasn’t had a ton of success at the MLB level to this point. He posted a 1.48 ERA through 25 appearances as a rookie in 2019, but he’d struggled over the past couple seasons. Ginkel owns just a 6.50 ERA in 51 outings since that point, with an elevated 13% walk percentage among the culprits for that lack of success. He’ll try to carry over his excellent upper minors showing against higher-level hitters and earn a long-term spot in the Arizona bullpen.

Davies returns after a bit more than a month on the IL due to shoulder soreness. The righty looked like a viable trade candidate after pitching to a 3.84 ERA through his first 15 starts on an affordable $1.75MM contract. Now that he’s back on the active roster, there’s at least some chance he attracts attention from contenders seeking rotation depth within the next 24 hours.

Diamondbacks Announce Several Roster Moves

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The Diamondbacks announced Friday that they’ve selected the contracts of utilityman Cooper Hummel, outfielder Kristian Robinson and righty Ryan Weiss to the 40-man roster. In a trio of corresponding moves, the D-backs passed lefty Miguel Aguilar, righty Kevin Ginkel and right-hander Riley Smith through waivers and outrighted them to Triple-A Reno.

The 26-year-old Hummel came over to Arizona from Milwaukee in this summer’s Eduardo Escobar trade and has done nothing but rake in his new organization. In 92 Triple-A games, split at 46 apiece between both teams, Hummel mashed for to the tune of .311/.432/.546 with 12 home runs. Perhaps most impressively, Hummel managed that level of production while walking (63) more times than he struck out (61). The 18th-rounder has gradually started to cede playing time behind the plate due to subpar receiving abilities, but after seeing action at both infield and outfield corners this past season he should have plenty of avenues to crack the Major League roster soon.

Kristian Robinson’s selection to the team’s roster has more to do with the 20-year-old’s top prospect status than it does with any recent performance. Coming into the season, the young outfielder was ranked as high as the 15th best prospect in the game by Baseball Prospectus, achieving that distinction without the benefit of a full season of A-level ball.

However, Robinson’s status is complicated by legal issues that could impact his visa status. In August, Robinson — a native of the Bahamas — pled guilty to an assault charge that could impact his ability to renew his work visa in the United States. Zach Buchanan of the Athletic covers Robinson’s situation in a detailed piece that’s well worth a read in full. Both the organization and Robinson’s attorney remain hopeful that his immigration status will be resolved in his favor now that he’s completed the community service to which he’d been sentenced as part of his plea agreement.

Robinson did not play in 2021. Now that he’s been added to the roster to keep him from selection in the Rule 5 draft, he’ll revert to the major league restricted list, general manager Mike Hazen told reporters (including Buchanan). He won’t count against the 40-man roster while he’s on the restricted list.

A 4th-rounder back in 2018, Ryan Weiss made his Double-A and Triple-A debuts this season. Across 78 innings between the two levels Weiss pitched to a 4.60 ERA, seeing action out of both the rotation and bullpen. The 24-year-old struck out roughly 27% of opposing batters but will need to tamp down on the number of baserunners he allowed in Triple-A before Arizona can count on him as a member of their pitching staff.

After a layoff in 202o the left-handed Aguilar struggled in his first Triple-A and big league look, posting ERAs north of 5 at both levels. Right-hander Kevin Ginkel wasn’t able to replicate the success he found in Arizona’s 2019 pen, pitching to a 6.35 ERA in 28 innings. It was a similar story for the right-handed Riley Smith, who spun 18+ innings of 1.47 ERA ball last season before struggling to the tune of a 6.01 ERA in 67 innings this year.

Diamondbacks Activate Merrill Kelly

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The Diamondbacks have reinstated Merrill Kelly from the COVID-19 injured list. He’ll get the start this evening against the Dodgers, his first action in a month after he tested positive for the coronavirus. Tyler Gilbert was placed on the 10-day injured list with elbow fatigue in a corresponding move.

Kelly has been one of the D-Backs’ most reliable starters this year. While his promising 2020 campaign was cut short by thoracic outlet syndrome, the 32-year-old has bounced back and remained durable until his positive COVID diagnosis. Kelly has tossed 142 1/3 frames over 24 starts, working to a 4.30 ERA. He’s not missed many bats, but Kelly’s a great strike-thrower and has induced grounders at a roughly league average rate en route to solid production.

The final few weeks will offer Kelly an opportunity to make a handful of starts and hopefully demonstrate he’s returned to prior form after a month away. His contract contains an eminently affordable $5.25MM club option, which looks like a lock to be exercised. At that point, Kelly would become one of the offseason’s more notable trade candidates, with the Diamondbacks unlikely to compete next season. Plenty of more immediate contenders could use the affordable, mid-rotation stability Kelly brings and seem likely to be in contact with the Arizona front office over the winter.

To open space on the 40-man roster, the D-Backs recalled minor league reliever Kevin Ginkel and placed him on the major league 60-day injured list due to right elbow inflammation. The move officially ends his season, but Ginkel will pick up MLB service time and pay for the final few weeks. The 27-year-old has been up-and-down over the past three years, combining for a 4.72 ERA over 68 2/3 big league frames.

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