D-backs Claim Rogelio Armenteros, Outright Domingo Leyba
The Diamondbacks announced Friday that they’ve claimed righty Rogelio Armenteros off waivers from the Astros and outrighted infielder Domingo Leyba to Triple-A Reno. The D-backs’ roster is at 37 players. The Astros are down to 35.
Armenteros, 26, didn’t pitch in 2020 owing to surgery that removed a bone spur from his right elbow. He made his big league debut with the Astros in 2019, however, and pitched to a 4.00 ERA with an 18-to-5 K/BB ratio in 18 innings (four starts). The righty has a generally sharp track record in parts of three seasons in the hitter-friendly Triple-A Pacific Coast League, having compiled a 3.73 ERA with averages of 10 strikeouts, 3.4 walks and 1.2 homers per nine innings pitched. He also has a minor league option remaining, so he’ll represent a nice depth addition for the D-backs’ staff.
Leyba, 25, came to the D-backs alongside Robbie Ray back in 2014’s three-team swap that sent Didi Gregorius to the Bronx and Shane Greene to Detroit. He made his MLB debut in 2019 and batted .280/.367/.440 in a tiny sample of 30 plate appearances, but he’s been oft-injured throughout his minor league career and has shown a glaring lack of power outside of 2019’s juiced-ball season in Triple-A. He has strong bat-to-ball skills, striking out in just 14 percent of his career plate appearances in the minors, but the fact that he went unclaimed is indicative of concerns surrounding his overall game.
Diamondbacks Outright Joe Mantiply
OCT. 1: The D-backs announced that they have outrighted Mantiply to Triple-A Reno.
SEPT. 28: The Diamondbacks announced that they have designated left-hander Joe Mantiply for assignment. They reinstated infielder Domingo Leyba from the restricted list in a corresponding move.
Mantiply, a former Tiger and Yankee whom the Diamondbacks signed to a minor league contract last winter, threw 2 1/3 innings of four-run ball for the D-backs in 2020. The 29-year-old has tossed just eight major league innings and surrendered 12 earned runs on 13 hits with more walks (eight) than strikeouts (six) thus far.
Leyba, meanwhile, is back with the Snakes after receiving an 80-game suspension for a positive performance-enhancing drug test last March. The 25-year-old Leyba made his D-backs debut a season ago with 30 plate appearances and seven hits. FanGraphs ranked Leyba as the D-backs’ 26th-best prospect last November.
Domingo Leyba Suspended 80 Games After Positive PED Test
Diamondbacks infielder Domingo Leyba has been suspended for eighty games, per a league announcement. He tested positive for boldenone, a banned performance-enhancing drug.
Leyba, a 24-year-old switch-hitter, made his MLB debut last year. He spent most of the year at Triple-A, where he turned in a strong .300/.351/.519 batting line with 19 home runs. In the highly charged PCL offensive environment, that output was good for a 107 wRC+.
The Snakes had already closed off Leyba’s most direct route to playing time when they added Starling Marte, thus pushing Ketel Marte back to second base. Leyba still factored into the mix as a potential utility infielder, where he faced competition from players such as Ildemaro Vargas, Josh Rojas, Andy Young, and non-roster invitee Gavin Cecchini.
Diamondbacks Notes: Marte, Second Base, Arbitration
Ketel Marte is likely ticketed for heavy usage in centerfield this season, per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. The Diamondbacks stated preference for Marte is twofold: they’d like to return him to the infield, and they’d like not to bounce him between positions (in 2019, Marte appeared in 96 games in center, 83 at second, and 11 at shortstop). But unless they make a move on the trade market, GM Mike Hazen is unlikely to satisfy both criteria. They could have their cake and eat it too by trading for the Pirates’ star centerfielder of the same surname. Speculatively speaking, Starling Marte and Jackie Bradley Jr. are both available, and there aren’t many options beyond those two to upgrade in center. A year after picking 8 times in the first 100 selections of the 2019 draft, the Diamondbacks have the prospect capital to make such a move if they want to cash in. If not…
- …the organization is much better off in the second baseman department, with Eduardo Escobar, Andy Young, Ildemaro Vargas, Domingo Leyba and Josh Rojas all capable of winning the spot with a strong spring. Eduardo Escobar‘s handling of the keystone only becomes likely if Jake Lamb stakes his claim to the hot corner with some authority. That’s not out of the question for the 29-year-old, though given last year’s .193/.323/.353 performance, Lamb would need a very strong spring to gird himself against any kind of early season slump. Otherwise, the Diamondbacks appear comfortable letting a host of options work their way through second base. Escobar is likelier to play third most of the time, as he did last year, with one of their younger options such as Rojas or Young chunking their time up the middle. With Kole Calhoun in right and Stephen Vogt brought in to back up at catcher, the centerfield/second base slot remains the last significant variable for the Diamondbacks to solve on offense before Opening Day.
- Regarding arbitration, the Diamondbacks reached one-year accords with four arb-eligible players yesterday: Robbie Ray, Andrew Chafin, Matt Andriese and Jake Lamb. The D-backs also locked up their left fielder David Peralta with a three-year, $22MM deal. Incumbent closer Archie Bradley and consecutive gold glove winner Nick Ahmed are the only two players headed for the arbitration panel as of right now. Figures for both players have been filed.
West Notes: Richards, Trout, D-Backs, Leyba
Angels righty Garrett Richards completed his remarkable return to the major league hill, but he had to leave early with what has been diagnosed initially as a biceps cramp, as Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times reports. The club says that the fireballing righty was pulled for “precautionary reasons,” and Richards says that “everything’s fine” with his elbow. For the time being, at least, he won’t even undergo an MRI; indications are that he could be able to take his next scheduled start.
- Speaking of Richards, you’ll want to read the interesting piece that Moura penned recently regarding his stem-cell therapy to treat a partially torn UCL. Taking that course rather than electing surgery is perhaps not as unique as is publicly known, the article explains, with other players quietly undergoing the treatment during the offseason. It wasn’t an easy call, explains Angels team doctor Steve Yoon, but the combined approach has led to “dramatic” improvement in his ligament.
- Angels fans will also want to take a look at Moura’s excellent look back at how the organization landed Mike Trout in the 2009 draft. Richards went to Los Angeles in the same draft, as did a host of other major leaguers. But landing Trout with the 25th choice was one of the greatest heists in Rule 4 history.
- The Diamondbacks are lining up a significant investment in their operations in the Dominican Republic, as Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. CEO Derrick Hall explains that investing in a facility — either through renovation or new construction — could help the team draw quality youngsters under the new international spending rules, which won’t allow organizations to exceed their pool allocations.
- Diamondbacks prospect Domingo Leyba is slated to miss about two months of action with “a small tear” in the anterior capsule of his right shoulder, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports (Twitter links). Leyba, who came to Arizona as a part of the three-team deal that also delivered Robbie Ray, with the D-Backs sacrificing Didi Gregorius, is considered one of the organization’s top prospects. The 21-year-old infielder put up solid numbers last year at the High-A and Double-A levels after a disappointing 2015 campaign. Over 548 total plate appearances, he slashed .296/.355/.429 with ten home runs.
Diamondbacks Designate Gabby Guerrero For Assignment
The D-backs announced that they’ve designated outfield prospect Gabby Guerrero for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for infield prospect Domingo Leyba.
Guerrero, the nephew of former MLB superstar Vladimir Guerrero, was acquired from the Mariners in the 2015 trade that sent Mark Trumbo from Arizona to Seattle. Though he long rated as one of the top prospects in the Mariners organization, Guerrero’s performance stalled in 2015-16. He hit just .223/.258/.346 between his two organizations’ Double-A affiliates in 2015 and struggled similarly this year, hitting .234/.281/.383 between Double-A and Triple-A.
Leyba, meanwhile, went from the Tigers to the D-backs in the three-team trade that sent Didi Gregorius to the Yankees, Shane Greene to Detroit and Leyba and Robbie Ray to Arizona. The middle infielder hit .296/.355/.429 between Class-A Advanced and Double-A as a 20-year-old this past season. He played primarily shortstop this season, though there’s been some question in past scouting reports about his ability to stay there, with some opining that Leyba is best suited for second base.