The D-Backs released veteran righty Anthony DeSclafani, according to the MLB.com transaction tracker. He’d been designated for assignment on Monday. DeSclafani had more than enough service time to refuse a minor league assignment, so a release was inevitable.
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 was pushed back to the bullpen since returning. Nabil Crismatt has stepped into the fifth starter job.
The 35-year-old DeSclafani pitched twice after coming back from injury. He gave 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.
At this point, there’s no real reason for DeScalfani to look for another landing spot in 2025. He’ll be limited to minor league offers over the winter if he intends to continue pitching.