Left-hander A.J. Puk has officially reported to the Diamondbacks and is active to pitch tonight. To make room for him on the active roster, they’ve designated right-handed reliever Thyago Vieira for assignment.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Today's #Dbacks roster moves. pic.twitter.com/YTUuZH7qVv
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) July 27, 2024
Arizona traded for Puk on Thursday to add some swing-and-miss from the left side of the bullpen. They now have two capable left-handers in their bullpen between him and Joe Mantiply. Puk projects to get the lion’s share of high-leverage situations while Mantiply can serve as a sixth or seventh inning guy when facing a string of lefties.
The Diamondbacks picked up Vieira off waivers on June 6, as the bullpen was wearing thin due to injuries and a rotation that was putting them under constant stress. Primarily used to eat innings in low-leverage and mop-up situations, he pitched to a 2.87 ERA in 11 games. Arizona has seven days to either trade, release, or outright Vieira to the minor leagues. With the combination of stuff and passable results, it wouldn’t be surprising if he finds another team to pitch for this season.
Arizona’s 40-man roster now sits at 39 players. Hazen’s comments from yesterday suggest the team is looking for additional pitching help so that open roster spot could be used soon.
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
