The Diamondbacks have an open spot in their rotation after sending down Cristian Mena to Triple-A Reno on Thursday. Steve Gilbert, Diamondbacks beat reporter for MLB.com, reports that pitching prospect Yilber Diaz will start Monday against the Atlanta Braves at Chase Field.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Diaz, 23, has been one of the biggest breakout prospects in the 2024 season. His arsenal features the potential for three plus quality or better pitches. His fastball sits 94-98 MPH with carry that plays well at the top of the strike zone. He complements it with a big-breaking curveball with an 11-5 shape around 80 MPH and a slider in the mid-80s that shows a lot of horizontal movement. He has a changeup, but it’s a distant fourth pitch.
Diaz is currently ranked as the No. 16 prospect in the Diamondbacks’ system, and fourth highest pitching prospect. Beginning the year with Double-A Amarillo, he went 3-5 with a 4.33 ERA in 11 starts. While the overall numbers don’t look impressive, that is a solid ERA for the extreme hitting environment of his home ballpark.
He capped his run with Amarillo with a strong run in the month of May, going 2-1 with a 1.84 ERA in five starts. He struck out 39 hitters and only walked seven in 29 1/3 innings. He was subsequently promoted to Triple-A Reno. He’s continued his run at the highest level of the minors, pitching to a 3.27 ERA in four starts and a 28-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 22 innings.
Diaz will fill in for Jordan Montgomery’s spot in the rotation, who was placed on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday with right knee inflammation. They will need to make an active roster move, but they have an open spot on their 40-man roster following Tucker Barnhart’s DFA. In a pregame update, manager Torey Lovullo told Jesse Friedman of PHNX Sports that Montgomery will throw a flat ground session on Saturday. Lovullo added there’s still inflammation on his injured right knee, but the Diamondbacks anticipate he’ll be well enough to throw tomorrow.
Jordan Montgomery will throw a flat ground tomorrow, manager Torey Lovullo said.
Montgomery still has some inflammation in his knee, but Lovullo said they're anticipating he'll be good enough to throw tomorrow.
— Jesse Friedman (@JesseNFriedman) July 6, 2024
*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, exclusive content, and access to our seasonal magazines! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*
Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
