Diamondbacks Place Star Catcher on IL in 5-Player Roster Move

The Arizona Diamondbacks have made a five-player roster move. Catcher Gabriel Moreno will go on the 10-Day IL with a strained left oblique, retroactive to April 11.

This move was expected after the former Gold Glover went for an MRI and manager Torey Lovullo indicated afterwards an IL stint would be necessary. To add catcher depth, veteran backstop Aramis Garcia has been called up from Triple-A Reno.

To clear a roster spot for Garcia, first baseman and DH Pavin Smith was moved from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL, as he is expected to undergo surgery on his left elbow.

And, as expected and previously reported, right-hander Merrill Kelly has been activated off the 15-day IL for his start against the Orioles Tuesday, while righty Taylor Rashi has been optioned to Triple-A.

Diamondbacks Call Up Aramis Garcia to Replace Gabriel Moreno

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Aramis Garcia at practice at Salt River Fields Scottsdale Feb 13, 2025 — Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Aramis Garcia during spring training practice at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale on Feb. 13, 2025. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The D-backs have added 33-year-old journeyman Aramis Garcia to the 40-man roster and called him up from Triple-A Reno. The corresponding move

Garcia was drafted in 2014 by the Giants in the second round. He made his major league debut in 2018, and homered in his very first game. In fact Garcia has always had pop in his bat, as evidenced by his 105 career minor league homers. He has 10 homers in 312 MLB at bats.

As a major leaguer he has struggled with batting average and on base however. He has a .208/.245/.321, slash line in 331 plate appearances for five different major league organizations. That includes two games with the D-backs in 2025.

Defensively Garcia rates out about average or slightly below. He has a 29% career caught stolen base percentage. Statcast has rated him exactly average for blocking, framing, and caught stealing.

Moreno's Long Injury History

This will be Moreno's fifth injured list stint since becoming a Diamondback in 2023. He has started just 252 of 501 possible games for Arizona, nearly an even 50%.

Gabriel Moreno Career Games Started and Innings at Catcher | Jack Sommers

Moreno spent three weeks on the IL in 2023 with a shoulder injury. In 2024 there was a short trip to the 10-day IL due to a thumb injury, and later a groin injury knocked him out from August 6 through September 15 of that year.

Then in 2025 a pitch skipped off the mud on a rainy day in Cincinnati, striking his exposed throwing hand. The fracture that occurred as a result kept Moreno out for over two months, from June 16 to August 22.

As can be seen in the chart above Moreno's games played and started at catcher have declined each year. While Lovullo has stated they expect this to be a short trip to the IL, one can only be concerned about the potential for a back injury to hinder a catcher's performance.

There is no doubt about the quality of this defensive work behind the plate. He is universally viewed as one of the premier players at the position. But the continued injury issues that plague him have cut into the value he can bring to the table. As the saying goes, the most important ability is availability.

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