D-backs Preview #104: 7/30 vs. Dodgers

Roster movies [get a cup of coffee - and a sandwich]

The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves:

• Reinstated C Carson Kelly from the 10-day injured list (fractured right wrist).
• Recalled RHP J.B. Bukauskas from Triple-A Reno.
• Selected LHP Miguel Aguilar, LHP Ryan Buchter, RHP Stefan Crichton and INF Drew Ellis from Reno.
• Placed OF Stuart Fairchild, LHP Joe Mantiply, RHP Noé Ramirez, RHP Riley Smith and INF/OF Pavin Smith on the injured list.
• INF Jake Hager (No. 16) will report to the team and be active for tonight’s game. He was claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners earlier today.

In case you’re unclear of the reason for this:

I’m pretty sure we won’t get much details from Torey, due to privacy rules. But two of those arriving above, Aguilar and Ellis, will be making their major league debuts. I wrote about the former just yesterday, lauding his impressive 2.90 ERA in the Pacfic Coast League. It’s been a while coming: he was signed by the D-backs as a minor-league free agent in September 2016. At the age of 29 years and 307 days, he’ll become the tenth oldest player in franchise history to make his MLB debut as a Diamondback - though as you’ll see below, he is not even the oldest this season! If Aguilar takes the mound tonight, here’s the top ten, with their ages in years.days and debut date:

1. Yoshihisa Hirano - 34.021 - 2018-03-29
2. Matt Buschmann - 32.057 - 2016-04-10
3. Efrain Valdez - 31.319 - 1998-05-26
4. Danny Dorn - 30.275 - 2015-04-21
5. Ken Huckaby - 30.252 - 2001-10-06
6. Merrill Kelly - 30.169 - 2019-04-01
7. Robert Ellis - 30.122 - 2001-04-16
8. Joe Mantiply - 30.075 - 2021-05-15
9. Tuffy Gosewisch - 29.349 - 2013-08-01
10. Miguel Aguilar - 29.307 - 2021-07-30

Slightly younger, the 25-year-old Drew Ellis was selected by the D-backs in the second round of the 2017 draft. He has hit .286 for the Aces, with a .950 OPS: I’ll leave you to apply the Reno effect yourself to that figure, and work out what we can expect for him here...

Torey Lovullo notes

• Two players tested positive, Noe Ramirez and Stuart Fairchild. Both are SYMPTOMATIC. Torey could not say if either were vaccinated. They were tested the last day in Chicago according to Torey, but both were with the team in Texas.
• The other three players, Pavin Smith, Riley Smith and Joe Mantiply are in the protocol due to contact tracing and awaiting test results.
• Other players have all been tested and Torey did not anticipate any further positives.
• Torey couldn’t offer much else in the way of information.

Torey Lovullo audio [or link]