Diamondbacks Reinstate Fan-Favorite Reliever In New Roster Move

A pitching swap for Arizona.

Jun 28, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Drey Jameson (99) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays in the eighth inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Arizona Diamondbacks are making a roster move, ahead of their game three finale against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.

Right-handed reliever Drey Jameson, who has been down with hip inflammation, has been resinstated from the 15-day IL.

To clear a roster spot, right-hander Zack Littell has been designated for assignment. Littell made just three appearances for Arizona in his brief stint.

Diamondbacks reinstate Drey Jameson

Jun 24, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Drey Jameson (99) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jameson has been one of the favorites among Diamondbacks fans for some time, thanks to his high-octane fastball and compelling personality. Unfortunately for the 29-year-old righty, his baseball journey has been comprised of more injury and hardship than success at the major league level.

The right-hander missed much of 2023 and all of 2024, eventually having to undergo Tommy John surgery. Since that, it's been somewhat of a lengthy process back to full strength.

Jameson had been in the midst of an uneven minor league season, but was given an opportunity to return to the majors back on August 23.

Though his 11 appearances (over 17.1 total innings) have resulted in a 4.67 ERA, Jameson looked, in general, like a sharper version of himself in his small sample size. But the righty went down with said hip injury after a rough three-walk performance on July 19.

Although Jameson does not appear to be one of the more obvious high-leverage relief options, he does have the capability to pitch up to two innings at a time. The Diamondbacks could be in need of some length on Sunday, since Littell — their long man — had to pitch on Saturday thanks to a short start by Michael Soroka.

With rookie left-hande Mitch Bratt on the mound, the Diamondbacks might need some length once again for the finale.

Diamondbacks DFA Zack Littell

Aug 10, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Littell throws in the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Littell signed on a major league deal back on August 10; he had just been released by the pitching-needy Washington Nationals.

The goal was to get a more traditional long reliever option — capable of going up to six or more innings of relief — in order to help preserve other areas of the D-backs' bullpen, with a chance of slotting into the rotation if necessary.

Though his numbers in relief were much better coming in, Littell was not able to replicate that success in his short stay with Arizona.

He pitched 4.2 scoreless innings to pick up a win in his Diamondbacks debut against the Rockies on the day his deal was made official, but has since allowed 12 runs (10 earned) over just 7.2 total innings. He holds a 7.50 ERA as a member of the D-backs, and a 5.21 ERA on the year.