The Arizona Diamondbacks have signed veteran right-handed pitcher Anthony DeSclafani to a major league deal, and he joined the active roster on Sunday.
Arizona optioned right-hander Bryce Jarvis to Triple-A Reno and transferred right-hander Justin Martinez to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man roster spot. Martinez will undergo season-ending elbow surgery.
DeSclafani signed with New York on a minor-league deal before this season and had been pitching for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, New York’s Triple-A club.
The 35-year-old has 180 games of experience in the majors, having spent time with Miami (2014), Cincinnati (2015-20) and San Francisco (2021-23).
The right-hander hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2023, when an elbow flexor strain ended his season. He was traded twice after the 2023 season before he underwent surgery on the elbow flexor tendon that ended his 2024 season before it began.
“I’m feeling good,” DeSclafani said on Sunday. “Just trying to get back in the groove of things coming off of surgery. Body feels good, elbow feels good, I’m recovering well. Now it’s fine tuning mechanics and some pitch design stuff and really just getting back out there and throwing, that’s the most important thing.”
Over five starts in Triple-A (20.0 innings), he’s posting a 4.50 ERA and 1.65 WHIP with a .300 batting average allowed.
He will provide length in the bullpen.
DeSclafani threw 99.2 innings for the Giants in 2023 to a 4.88 ERA. His highest-usage pitch was his slider, followed by a sinker and fastball.
He said his pitch mix is a bit different now, that he has added to his arsenal since his last MLB appearance in July 2023.
“ I have three new pitches,” DeSclafani said. “I’ve added a split-change, a sweeper and a gyro. A bunch of new pitches. Just figuring out the right way to deploy those during left-handed at-bats and right-handed at-bats. Hoping to continue figuring out the correct mix.”
Jarvis heads back to Reno after making one appearance since getting called up on Tuesday. He threw three innings with one earned run in Tuesday’s 10-3 win over the Seattle Mariners.
He had been working as a starter for the Aces before getting recalled, and club need starting pitching depth.
Diamondbacks place Tommy Henry on IL
D-backs left-hander Tommy Henry landed on the injured list in Reno this week with left elbow soreness. He is being evaluated and seeking other opinions.
“Very similar to what we’ve been seeing here with the (A.J.) Puk, J-Mart, Corbin (Burnes) situation, getting that second opinion to figure out what direction to take,” manager Torey Lovullo said.
Henry is another depth starter for the Diamondbacks who has been shelved. Cristian Mena is on the 60-day IL with a teres major strain. Jordan Montgomery and Blake Walston will not pitch this year after receiving Tommy John surgery, as injuries have cut deep into Arizona’s depth.
Alex Weiner and Kevin Zimmerman contributed to this report.
