Diamondbacks to Promote Blake Walston

Blake Walston should provide some length for a D-backs bullpen that had to go all nine innings Tuesday.

Blake Walston during photo day at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Feb. 21, 2024. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY

Coming off Tuesday night's bullpen game, the Diamondbacks were a bit gassed with the bullpen. Before Wednesday's series finale against the Dodgers, the team has made a roster move. Left-hander Blake Walston was recalled from Triple-A Reno while fellow lefty Andrew Saalfrank was optioned down to Reno.

Blake Walston has been called up by the #Dbacks and Andrew Saalfrank has been optioned to Reno

Walston found out at midnight last night while in LasVegas. He had a sleepless night but managed to get in touch with his brother first and then his parents later in the AM

— Jack Sommers (@shoewizard59) May 1, 2024

Walston, 22, entered the season as the D-backs No. 18 prospect on Inside the Diamondbacks. He features a low-90s fastball, a curveball, slider, and a changeup. Walston's secondaries all grade as above-average pitches, but his fastball well below average due to a lack of velocity or movement.

In five starts with Reno, Walston has a 4.79 ERA with troubling peripherals. In 20 2/3 innings, he has 19 strikeouts compared to 15 walks. Some of that could be the challenges of pitching in an extreme hitting environment, but also trying to make pitches to a smaller strike zone with both an automated system and a challenge system in Triple-A. As a starter, he should give the D-backs length in the case of a short start this homestand.

Saalfrank, 26, was called up on April 23rd with the injury to left-hander Kyle Nelson. In his lone appearance, he walked three of the five batters he faced in what turned into a four-run fifth inning in a Dodgers 8-4 win Monday night. After the game, manager Torey Lovullo stated the five walks between Saalfrank and Scott McGough that inning was unacceptable. Saalfrank is not eligible to be recalled to the major league before May 16th unless it's to replace an injured player.