ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS NEWS

Caleb Smith - Back in majors Smith was recalled from Triple-A Reno prior to Friday's game.

Impact He worked as a multi-inning reliever at Triple-A, giving up one run on eight hits and one walk with five strikeouts in 7.2 innings over three appearances. Smith should work in a similar role out of the big-league bullpen.

APRIL 29, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Nick Ahmed - Not in Friday's lineup Ahmed will sit Friday against the Cardinals.

Impact Ahmed sits for the third time in eight games since his return from a shoulder injury last Friday. He's gone 5-for-16 with a homer and a pair of doubles but will sit here in favor of Geraldo Perdomo.

APRIL 29, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Christian Walker - Heads to bench Walker will not start Friday's game against the Cardinals.

Impact Walker sits for just the second time this season, with the Diamondbacks electing to bench all their right-handed bats against Adam Wainwright. Walker hasn't done much to deserve as many opportunities as he's received, as he's hitting just .157/.244/.371 on the year. Seth Beer will start at first base, with David Peralta resting his legs as the designated hitter.

APRIL 29, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Carson Kelly - Sitting Friday Kelly will be on the bench Friday against the Cardinals.

Impact Kelly started eight of the first 13 games behind the plate but has now started just four of the last eight. He's been in a serious slump to start the year, hitting .109/.163/.130 with a 34.7 percent strikeout rate. Jose Herrera will catch Madison Bumgarner on Friday.

APRIL 29, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Former Lincoln, FSU LHP Tyler Holton makes MLB debut with Diamondbacks Tyler Holton, who opened the season at Triple-A Reno, allowed two hits with one strikeout on 24 pitches (17 strikes) against the Cardinals.

APRIL 29, 2022 • TALLAHASSEE.COM

'No doubt about it': D-Backs' Daulton Varsho could contend for Gold Glove Though new to center field, Daulton Varsho has impressed defensively, and coach Dave McKay believes a Gold Glove could be in Varsho’s future...

APRIL 29, 2022 • AZCENTRAL.COM

Alek Thomas - Hits one, takes one Thomas went 1-for-5 with a solo home run and a second run scored for Triple-A Reno on Thursday.

Impact Thomas, who turned 28 on Thursday, belted a towering home run in the fifth inning, the third of the season for Arizona prospect. Then, in the bottom half of the frame, he took a homer away from Nomar Mazara of El Paso with a leaping grab over the center field wall. Thomas has a .263/.329/.500 line with 11 extra-base hits, nine RBI and 12 runs scored through 18 games (85 plate appearances). This is second tour for the Aces after getting a 34-game exposure to Triple-A at the end of 2021. The center fielder should make it to the show later in 2022.

APRIL 29, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Geraldo Perdomo - Starts at 3B again Perdomo started at third base and went 0-for-2 with two walks in Thursday's 8-3 loss to the Cardinals.

Impact This was Perdomo's second start at the hot corner, as the Diamondbacks prepare to give the prospect consistent plate appearances now that shortstop Nick Ahmed his back. It's not yet known if the organization will move him back to Triple-A once Josh Rojas (oblique) is ready. In the past, the Diamondbacks acknowledged Rojas' greatest asset was versatility, and they could have him fill that role instead of being the primary third baseman.

APRIL 29, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Cardinals bring 1-0 series advantage over Diamondbacks into game 2

The St. Louis Cardinals lead 1-0 in a four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks

APRIL 29, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Pavin Smith - Swats homer in loss Smith went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk Thursday in a loss to the Cardinals.

Impact St. Louis jumped out to an eight-run lead after six innings, so Smith's two-run eighth-inning shot was little more than a consolation prize. Still, it was an important hit for the 26-year-old, as it was his first long ball of the campaign. Smith has been productive of late, driving in four runs over his past three games.

APRIL 29, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Humberto Castellanos - Shelled by Cardinals Castellanos (1-1) allowed five runs on five hits and one walk over two innings to take the loss against St. Louis on Thursday.

Impact Castellanos entered the contest with a tidy 3.00 ERA over 12 innings on the season, but that number ballooned to 5.79 after the Cardinals pummeled him with singles Thursday. None of the hits against the right-hander went for extra bases, and three of the runs he allowed came on sacrifice flies, but Castellanos simply permitted too many baserunners to last long in the contest. He'll look for better results in his next start, which is tentatively slated to come in Miami early next week.

APRIL 29, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

'It was a clunker': Lovullo wants to copy Cards' game plan ST. LOUIS -- Fresh off taking two of three from the Dodgers at home, the D-backs arrived at Busch Stadium on Thursday feeling pretty good ab...

APRIL 29, 2022 • MLB.COM

Hudson, Goldschmidt lift Cardinals over D-backs 8-3

Dakota Hudson pitched six shutout innings, Paul Goldschmidt drove in three runs and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-3

APRIL 29, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

J.B. Wendelken - Placed on injured list Wendelken was placed on the injured list for an undisclosed reason Thursday.

Impact A reason for Wendelken's placement on the injured list wasn't given, so it's possible that he's on the COVID-19 IL. If that's the case, he'll be eligible to return as soon as he clears the league's health and safety protocols. While a timetable for Wendelken's return isn't yet known, Luis Frias and Tyler Holton were called up to provide additional bullpen depth in his absence.

APRIL 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Tyler Gilbert - Optioned to Triple-A Gilbert was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Thursday.

Impact Gilbert's first major-league this year came as a starter, but he tossed three innings out of the bullpen during Monday's loss to the Dodgers. He'll now head back to the minors, where he's served as a starter in each of his first two outings of the season. Luis Frias and Tyler Holton were called up to provide additional bullpen depth.

APRIL 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Tyler Holton - Contract selected by Diamondbacks Holton's contract was selected by the Diamondbacks on Thursday.

Impact Holton began the year at Triple-A Reno and posted a 6.75 ERA and 2.13 WHIP in eight innings over five relief appearances. He'll be available to make his major-league debut out of the bullpen after J.B. Wendelken (undisclosed) was placed on the injured list and Tyler Gilbert was optioned to Reno. However, it seems unlikely that Holton will pitch in high-leverage situations.

APRIL 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Luis Frías - Recalled by Arizona Frias was recalled from Triple-A Reno on Thursday.

Impact Frias was sent to the minors at the end of March, and he posted a 3.29 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 13.2 innings over three minor-league starts to begin the season. He'll provide bullpen depth after J.B. Wendelken (undisclosed) was placed on the injured list and Tyler Gilbert was sent down.

APRIL 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Sergio Alcántara - Not in Thursday's lineup Alcantara isn't starting Thursday against the Cardinals.

Impact Alcantara started in the last two games and went 0-for-5 with a run and two strikeouts. He'll get a breather while Geraldo Perdomo starts at the hot corner and bats ninth.

APRIL 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Drey Jameson - Elevated to Triple-A The Diamondbacks promoted Jameson from Double-A Amarillo to Triple-A Reno on Thursday, Zach Buchanan of The Athletic reports.

Impact Jameson quickly course corrected after a rough season debut April 8 against Midland, as he permitted just one run while striking out 20 over his last 17 innings spanning three starts. The string of strong outings will allow Jameson to move up a rung on the minor-league ladder to put him on the doorstep for his MLB debut. The 8-11 Diamondbacks likely don't fancy themselves as contenders, and that fact coupled with Jameson's status as a non-40-man roster player means that he may have to dominate at Reno to earn a call-up to the majors in the second half of the 2022 campaign.

APRIL 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Corbin Carroll - Raking at Amarillo Carroll is sporting a 1.126 OPS with four home runs, nine RBI, five steals and 11 walks for Double-A Amarillo.

Impact Carroll is one of two Arizona prospects -- Jordan Lawler the other -- that are coming off significant shoulder injuries. It hasn't taken the 21-year-old long to return to form, as the lefty-swinging outfielder has hit safely in 11 of 15 games. While Amarillo is known as a hitter-friendly environment, Carroll's OPS is nearly 300 points higher than the team's. Given that he lost a year to the pandemic and nearly a full year to injury, the 2019 first-round draft pick's performance is impressive and raises the question of how long will it take for a promotion.

APRIL 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Kyle Nelson - Streamlined pitch mix Nelson ditched his cutter in favor of throwing a fastball-slider mix exclusively, Theo Mackie of the Arizona Republic reports.

Impact Nelson added the cutter during the offseason leading up to 2021 in hopes of showing a third viable pitch, but the results were not good. The left-hander was tagged for a 9.31 ERA across 9.2 innings for Cleveland before being demoted. His performance in the minors was equally discouraging, so the Guardians eventually cut him loose. The Diamondbacks, whose analytics staff was intrigued by the fastball-slider mix, pounced. After getting Nelson to scrap the cutter, the 25-year-old pitcher has been a gem out of the bullpen since getting the call from Triple-A Reno. Across 7.2 innings, Nelson has not allowed a run on three hits and two walks while striking out eight.

APRIL 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Cardinals play the Diamondbacks in first of 4-game series

The St. Louis Cardinals start a four-game series at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday

APRIL 28, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Nick Ahmed - Pops first homer Ahmed went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Dodgers.

Impact Ahmed took Julio Urias yard in the fifth inning to record his first homer of the season. He was sidelined by a shoulder injury for the first two weeks of the campaign, and he's been in the lineup in four of six games since. Ahmed has been a light hitter throughout his career, though he does have two extra-base hits in only 12 plate appearances to begin his 2022 season.

APRIL 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Mark Melancon - Closes out another game Melancon struck out one and did not allow a baserunner in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Wednesday against the Dodgers.

Impact Melancon entered the game with a two-run lead and retired the side in order on 11 pitches to record his fourth save of the season. He's now closed out consecutive games, not allowing a hit in either appearance. Melancon has struck out only three hitters across eight innings but has turned in seven scoreless appearances early on in the campaign.

APRIL 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Zac Gallen - Six shutout innings against Dodgers Gallen allowed two hits and two walks while striking out five across six scoreless innings Wednesday against the Dodgers. He did not factor into the decision.

Impact Gallen matched Julio Urias in a pitcher's duel Wednesday, though he ultimately lost out on a chance for the win after exiting the game with a 1-0 lead. He didn't generate a high number of strikeouts or swinging strikes, but he avoided any major mistakes by limiting the Dodgers to only one extra-base hit. Gallen has allowed one earned run across his first three starts and 15 innings, which amounts to a 0.60 ERA. While he'll get touched up at points in the season, Gallen's skills have backed up the excellent stretch as he's maintained a 14:4 K:BB, and he has yet to allow a home run.

APRIL 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE