Looks like Sean's mom on Facebook was correct! Ken Rosenthal is reporting. "Diamondbacks call up Sean Burroughs. Last appeared in majors in 2006." Given that, as recently as last night, the statements were that Willie Bloomquist was going to be called off the DL to take Armando Galarraga's spot on the roster - at least temporarily - it appears Bloomquist is not ready to return yet. Either that, or this was some cunning, if bizarrely pointless piece of subterfuge on the part of Kevin Towers. [Hat-tip: Al Yellon]
[Update] Nick Piecoro suggests this may be in addition to the Bloomquist move, rather than instead of. He Tweeted, "Heard something about the bereavement list for somebody." Based on Burroughs' skill-set, Melvin Mora seems the most likely candidate perhaps?
That has now been confirmed. "In corresponding moves, the D-backs designated right-handed pitcher Armando Galarraga for assignment and placed infielder Melvin Mora on the bereavement list."
Burroughs is only 30, but it has been more than five years since Burroughs last took the field. He came in as a late-inning replacement for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays against the Yankees, on May 4, 2006. He was sent to the minors thereafter and designated for assignment in June. A cup of coffee with the Mariners' Triple-A team followed in 2007, but he dropped off the radar entirely, from then until signing a minor-league contract with the D-backs in November. He told Nick Piecoro in March he had been doing "Nothing, really. Working for my girlfriend's dad and living out in Vegas. Things just weren't going well, so I moved back to California and kind of got my priorities straight.":
Even on a side like the Aces, collectively hitting .319 to date, Burroughs' numbers were impressive. In 27 games, he leads the team with a .366 average, and the same number of walks as strikeouts. This culminated in yesterday's contest, where he went 5-for-5, with three double and a triple, finishing a homer short of the cycle, which won him Snakelet of the Day honors. It's curious, with Burroughs basically unable to play any position bar third - he has 11 starts with the Padres as a shortstop in 2002, and some time playing second-base in the minors the same year, and that is it. So he's not exactly a utility guy.
It may only be a short-term promotion, depending on exactly what is going on here, and whether it is a bereavement list move. He is a left-handed bat off the bench, so may be used to provide an alternative to Russell Branyan, who is still looking for his first hit a) of May, and b) of the season as a pinch-hitter.