Former Arizona Diamondbacks right-hand reliever Joe Ross has elected free agency, according to the transaction logs on his MLB player page.
Ross had previously been designated for assignment, but he ultimately cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Reno. He will now test his market.
Ross, 32, made three appearances for the Diamondbacks after being a somewhat surprising addition to the opening day roster aheaf of the 2026 season. He posted an extremely ugly 19.64 ERA after two blowup appearances.
Diamondbacks’ Joe Ross outrighted, elects free agency
Ross was brought in as a potential long relief option during the offseason. Though he posted a 7.71 ERA in spring training, the D-backs valued his ability to throw a high volume of pitches over multiple innings.
Unfortunately, Ross was not able to eat those innings. He gave up six runs while recording just two outs during an appearance against the Detroit Tigers, turning an 8-0 blowout into a closer 8-6 game.
He gave up two runs on two hits and three walks against the Atlanta Braves in his most recent appearance — a game that would eventually turn into a brutal 17-2 blowout of a loss.
Ross was designated for assigment following that game. In his place, right-hander Taylor Rashi (who also has multi-inning capability) was called up from Triple-A Reno.