Let’s try and do better after the fifth inning, shall we?
Roster moves
The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves. The D-backs’ 40-man roster is at 40.
- Acquired from Pittsburgh Pirates for cash considerations and assigned to Triple-A Reno: INF Sergio Alcántara
- Claimed off waivers from Boston Red Sox and optioned to Triple-A Reno: LHP Joe Jacques
- Released: INF Jace Peterson
What? Those are not the roster moves you’re looking for? Must admit, when I saw the email notification pop up, I did not expect us to be reunited with old friend Alcantara, He played 71 games for the D-backs during the 2022 season. They came in two stints due to the following pair of transaction log entries, which feels like they might be kinda rare:
- May 9, 2022: Selected off waivers by the San Diego Padres from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
- July 5, 2022: Selected off waivers by the Arizona Diamondbacks from the San Diego Padres.
Arizona gave him his first shot in pro ball back in 2012, and we got him for a fourth time last August as a minor-league free-agent; he played out the year down in Reno. So this will be the FIFTH time the Diamondbacks have added Alcantara to the system. Mind you, they’ve also let him go four times. It’s a bit like “14-time WWE world champion John Cena” – so you mean you also lost the belt 13 times? Anyway, a little later this afternoon, we got the considerably bigger news items of the day.
Recalled from Triple-A Reno:
- LHP Tommy Henry (No. 47)
- LHP Andrew Saalfrank (No. 27)
Placed on the 15-day Injured List:
- RHP Merrill Kelly (right shoulder strain) [retro to April 20]
- RHP Miguel Castro (right shoulder inflammation) [retro to April 21]
While at time of writing we’re waiting for details, I think fandom will be slightly relieved that it’s “only” Castro who is the injured reliever, since he has a 5.19 ERA across 8.2 innings (his FIP comes in considerably lower, at 3.64. despite his 1.50 WHIP). But it’s certainly interesting to see two more pitchers hut the injured list for Arizona on the same day, both of them with shoulder issues. It seems to be getting harder to deny the reality of the epidemic affecting MLB pitchers this year. Still, at least the D-backs should soon have Paul Sewald back. Hopefully he will have the same overall calming affect as he did after his arrival from Seattle at the 2023 trade deadline.