Veteran pitcher Zach Davies was designated for assignment Wednesday for the Arizona Diamondbacks with five games left in the season.
Arizona recalled reliever Justin Martinez in a corresponding move and now have an open spot on its 40-man roster.
Davies, who spent the past two years with the D-backs, started Tuesday in a 15-4 win against the Chicago White Sox and allowed eight hits and four earned runs over 3.0 innings.
He’d allowed at least three runs and not gone longer than 4.0 innings over his last four starts.
For the season, Davies went 2-5 with a 7.00 ERA and 1.66 WHIP. The 30-year-old combined to start 45 games for the D-backs over the past two years, posting a 5.19 ERA and 1.435 WHIP.
With five games to go in the regular season, the departure of Davies adds some intrigue in regard to who gets the ball to open those remaining contests.
The Diamondbacks are lined up to start Brandon Pfaadt on Wednesday, pitch a bullpen game Thursday, then roll out the dynamic starting duo of Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
Ryne Nelson, who has started 27 of 28 games, is lined up to potentially start the season finale against the Houston Astros on Sunday. He last pitched on Tuesday after the White Sox chased Davies.
Martinez has appeared in nine games for Arizona, allowing 12 hits and 13 runs over 8.0 innings. He has 13 strikeouts and 10 walks but hasn’t appeared in the majors since Aug. 25.
He has a more reasonable 4.20 ERA and 1.64 WHIP with Triple-A Reno.