D-backs Announce Wave of Roster Moves Ahead of Opening Day

The Arizona Diamondbacks announced a wave of roster moves ahead of Thursday's Opening Day celebration. Many of these moves have already been predicted, or reported on by Diamondbacks On SI, but they are important nonetheless.

The biggest move made so far is the official signing of LHP Jalen Beeks, who was inked to a one-year $1.25 million contract on Tuesday. This followed the announcement that Jordan Montgomery would undergo Tommy John Surgery, and Kevin Ginkel will begin the year on the Injured List.

"He's going to add some stability to the front end of our bullpen," said Diamondbacks' GM Mike Hazen. "We just felt like, at this time of year, it's hard once tomorrow happens to make changes."

Hazen continued, "This is kind of the last chance where there will be guys available, because once tomorrow happens, everyone's going to settle on their roster, and then the minor league guys are going to settle on minor league deals somewhere."

Manager Torey Lovullo also spoke on Beeks after getting to speak with the lefty after his signing:

"[Beeks will pitch in] kind of a front end situation for right now, and I know that he'd been trending in a pretty positive direction with limited looks in Houston.

"I had a nice five-to-seven-minute conversation with him about signing late and then kind of taking the first chance he could beyond a certain point, and seeing him land on Houston, and he was really satisfied with where he was and how he was throwing the ball. ... He knows who he is. He's been around, and he has some experience," Lovullo said.

In a corresponding move, Montgomery was placed on the 60-day injured list with a sprained left ulnar collateral ligament, likely ending his time in a D-backs uniform.

The Diamondbacks have also selected the contract of Shelby Miller to the major league roster following a strong spring performance. His return to Arizona is a story of recovery and retribution, as he pitched to poor results in three seasons in the desert earlier in his career.

While things didn't end well the first time around, the right-hander carried on, and found a successful niche as a relief pitcher over the last two seasons with the Dodgers and Tigers.

After inking an unexpected minor league contract with Arizona earlier this spring, he seemed more likely to provide depth than MLB innings, but Miller has turned things upside down in a positive way.

Over 6.2 innings in the Cactus League, he pitched to a 2.70 ERA striking out 11 batters. This puts him at an impressive 14.9 K/9 in the small sample, with no walks allowed.

"There was a lot of strike-throwing consistency, things that you want to see out of the front to middle side of your bullpen, maybe even ends up in leverage," Mike Hazen said about Miller. "He's had a pretty good run the last couple of years."

"I think his evolution into a bullpen guy has been great to watch. He's matured. I think what he does when he goes out there to pitch is of value to the bullpen."

Additionally, Catcher René Pinto was Designated For Assignment, leaving Gabriel Moreno, Jose Herrera, and Adrian Del Castillo as the three active catchers on the 40-man roster.

Young right-hander Bryce Jarvis was confirmed to have made the roster by Lovullo. While no corresponding move has been officially announced, it seems likely that he will fill Kevin Ginkel's spot on the active roster for the time being.

"Yeah, Jarvis made the team," Lovullo told media including Diamondbacks ON SI's Jack Sommers. "He was doing a nice job for us last year when he got hurt. He had to step away to heal up and we wanted to strongly consider him from the moment he walked back into camp healthy this year and we saw a lot of the things that we remember."

Jarvis showed promise this spring, pitching in 9.1 innings to the tune of a 1.93 ERA, striking out 13 hitters. Across two big league seasons and 83 innings, the 27-year-old has posted a career 3.14 ERA but has only struck out 5.4 batters per nine innings pitched.

While the move to add Jarvis to the roster has not been made official, the rest of the Opening Day roster appears to be mostly set. The Diamondbacks will take on the Cubs at 7:10 p.m. Arizona time at Chase Field to begin the season.

D-backs Announce Wave of Roster Moves Ahead of Opening Day

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