D-backs Preview #135: 9/1 vs. Padres

Roster moves

The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves:

• Recalled OF Stuart Fairchild from Triple-A Reno.
• Reinstated RHP Luke Weaver from the 60-day injured list (strained right shoulder).

It’s September 1, and so rosters expand. Though this isn’t quite as big of a deal as it used to be, in the days when anyone on the 40-man roster became eligible to join the major-league team. Now, rosters only increase by two slots, from 26 to 28. But that’s probably okay this year, because the minor-league season is running late, due to its delayed start. The Reno Aces, for example, didn’t play their first game until May 6, and will still be playing all the way up until at least Oct 3, the same date as the end of the MLB season. [They’re also tied for the lead in the PCL West with Tacoma, so could end up playing later than the D-backs]

Interesting to see Fairchild called up. With Caleb Smith’s appeal against his suspension tomorrow likely futile, I would have thought another long relief arm might have made sense. But I guess there’ll be time for that. For today, be more interested to see how Weaver does, in his first major-league start since May 16. It was a shame he got injured, as Luke had put together back-to-back outings without allowing a run, covering a total of 10.1 innings of work. If we can get him functional down the stretch, that’ll be very useful, as our 2022 rotation currently seems to consist of MadBum, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly... Er... that’s about it. Consider September as basically a month of auditions for the remaining spots.

Torey Lovullo notes

• Luke Weaver will be on a pitch count today, managing his innings and up downs. Torey did not indicate what that number is.
• Taylor Widener has been moved to the bullpen, and will be evaluated as a reliever for the remainder of the season. They want to see what others can do as starters. They also want to manage Taylor’s workload a little bit. ”It doesn’t mean he’s going to be in the bullpen the rest of his life”
• Seattle Series rotation for now is Madison Bumgarner- TBA - Tyler Gilbert
• Stuart Fairchild promotion helps provide a little more Right Left balance in the lineup and off the bench. Torey said front office was of course well aware of the challenges Torey has faced recently and it was a collective decision to call up Sturart.
• Roster Expansion: Expect some further shuffling. Who’s here now does not necessarily represent who will get an opportunity later in the month.

Torey Lovullo audio [or link]