Merrill Kelly is officially back, as the Diamondbacks have activated him from the 60-day injured list and will start Sunday’s series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies. To make room for him on both the 40-man roster and active roster, the team designated right-hander Humberto Castellanos for assignment and optioned right-hander Scott McGough to Triple-A Reno. The team announced the moves on X.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Today’s #Dbacks roster moves. pic.twitter.com/5OO7CpXQ7i
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) August 11, 2024
Merrill Kelly was initially placed on the 15-day IL back on April 21 when he complained of shoulder problems ahead of his scheduled start against the Giants. An MRI revealed a teres major strain in his right shoulder, leading to his transfer to the 60-day IL on May 2. He was shut down until late June. Kelly appeared in a rehab assignment with the Diamondbacks’ High-A affiliate on August 6, throwing 62 pitches in four-plus innings for Hillsboro.
The Diamondbacks rotation is now at the healthiest point of the season, with Eduardo RodrÃguez coming off the IL earlier in the week. Arizona now has six healthy starting pitchers, which will lead to some inevitable tough decisions. Ryne Nelson has developed into a reliable starter of late, with a 2.90 ERA in his last eight appearances with impressive peripherals. They’ll have to choose between him and struggling left-hander Jordan Montgomery to round out the rotation.
McGough will head down to Reno again after pitching two scoreless innings in Saturday’s 11-1 win. After making the team’s bullpen on Opening Day, he has become more of a minor league depth arm after struggling to a 6.83 ERA in 23 appearances on the season.
This very well could be a case where the Diamondbacks felt that Castellanos was more likely to pass through waivers than McGough, though they risk the possibility of the right-hander choosing free agency. He’s pitched to a 5.43 ERA in 10 appearances mostly as an innings-eater out of the bullpen, although he logged his first save on July 6. With Arizona rolling with a five-man rotation, it’s more likely they just slide whoever isn’t out of the rotation to the bullpen.
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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
