The Diamondbacks announced that veteran righty Anthony DeSclafani has been designated for assignment. His spot in the bullpen goes to hard-throwing righty Juan Morillo, who has been recalled from Triple-A Reno. Arizona’s 40-man roster count drops to 39.
DeSclafani was pitching in Triple-A with the Yankees when Arizona signed him to a big league contract in the middle of June. He initially worked out of long relief and was promoted to the rotation when the Snakes traded Merrill Kelly at the deadline. That lasted only three starts, as DeSclafani suffered a thumb injury in the middle of August and was sent to the injured list. He missed a month and has been pushed back to the bullpen since returning. Nabil Crismatt has stepped into the fifth starter job.
The 35-year-old DeSclafani has pitched twice since coming back from injury. He has given up five home runs (six runs overall) in 5 2/3 frames over those two outings. He carries a 5.12 ERA across 38 2/3 innings on the season overall. While his strikeout and walk numbers are serviceable, the recent home run barrage led the Snakes to make a change. DeSclafani will very likely be released this week.
Morillo also represents a fresher arm for Torey Lovullo’s bullpen. He hasn’t pitched since Thursday. DeSclafani tossed 2 2/3 frames and threw 59 pitches yesterday. He would not have been available for at least the first two games of what is probably a must-win series if Arizona is to snag a surprise playoff berth. The D-Backs host the Giants for a three-game set. They’re half a game behind San Francisco and two games back of the reeling Mets for the National League’s last Wild Card spot.