D-backs Preview #107: 8/2 vs. Giants

Roster move

The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves:

• Claimed RHP Sean Poppen (@SPoppen71) off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays. Poppen (No. 64) will be active for tonight’s game.
• Returned RHP Stefan Crichton to Triple-A Reno following yesterday’s game.

The relentless chumming for pitching talent by the D-backs continues apace, with the arrival of Poppen. He was originally a 19th-round pick by the Twins back in 2016, out of Harvard. He has a degree in Chemistry and Physics, Engineering Sciences from there, so I will be referring to him going forward as Prof. Poppen [I’ll just adjust my degree, from a place already open for 141 years when Harvard was founded...]. Pittsburgh took him off waivers last October, then sold him on to the Rays for cash considerations. Over three years in the majors, he has only 21.1 innings of work, with a 6.33 ERA, though his FIP is far lower, all the way down at 3.85. He has a K:BB of 24:11. This year, he has mostly pitched in AAA, with a 1.95 ERA over 32.1 innings.

We’ll see if he sticks around in what is now more or less an open audition for bullpen spots going forward. Of the eight relievers who formed the Arizona Opening Day bullpen, Riley Smith is the only one still on the Diamondbacks roster. So pour one out for Taylor Clarke, Stefan Crichton, Chris Devenski, Kevin Ginkel, Yoan Lopez, Joakim Soria and Alex Young.

Torey Lovullo notes

• Josh Rojas: Has been taking BP and doing pre game activity. He will take live AB’s this Wednesday and if all goes well, they’ll then decide whether he goes out on rehab assignments. Interesting comments from Torey about his preference for players to go out on rehab games. In a couple of instances that hasn’t happened, and those decisions would seemingly have been made by medical staff, player, and front office, overriding Torey’s “preference”
• The schedule has a lot of games vs. the NL West in August and September. Regarding benefit for young players to face that level of competition: “I’m seeing it as only a positive... what we have to play for is several things, 1.) Winning as many baseball games as possible, 2.) Evaluations, we’re going to put these guys out in some situations and allow them to perform and show us what they can do. 3.) We can play the role of spoiler. That’s kind of the excitement of our season.
• Luke Weaver bullpen went well. Will throw live BP mid week
• Taylor Clarke will throw in another rehab game with Reno tonight.
• Stuart Fairchild and Noe Ramirez are still symptomatic with Covid.
• Pavin Smith, Riley Smith, and Joe Mantiply continue to test negative and remain asymptomatic. However they are still in the protocol. It is not entirely clear if they can return by this Friday if that continues to be the status.

Torey Lovullo audio [or link]