Former Diamondbacks Top-30 Prospect Retires at Age 23

A former top-30 prospect in Arizona's system retires at just 23 years old.

Apr 4, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; A detailed view of an Arizona Diamondbacks hat at the game between the Washington Nationals and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images | Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

Right-handed pitcher and former top-30 Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Joe Elbis has retired at 23 years old, according to Arizona's transaction logs.

Elbis did not pitch at all in the 2025 season following a successful year in the lower minor-league system in 2024, in which he managed to crack Arizona's top-30 prospect rankings at No. 29.

The reason for the right-hander's retirement is unknown, but Elbis did spend the majority of 2025 on the restricted list.

Arizona Diamondbacks' Joe Elbis Retires

Feb 21, 2022; Scottsdale, Ariz., U.S.; Diamondbacks minor league pitcher Joe Elbis runs during a select training camp for minor-league players not covered by the Players Association at Salt River Fields. MLB continues to be in a lockout after the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement Dec. 2. Mandatory Credit: Michael Chow-Arizona Republic Baseball Diamondbacks Select Minor League Camp | Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Elbis was signed as a free agent out of Caracas, Venezuela back in 2019 as a teenager. He showed some promise as a starting pitcher at the Class-A level with the Visalia Rawhide in 2021, but spent the majority of the 2022 season down on the injured list.

2023 looked like a step in the right direction. Elbis threw to a 3.75 ERA over the course of 24 starts, 115.1 innings, earning a mid-season promotion to High-A Hillsboro and earning the No. 29 spot among Arizona's top-30 prospects.

Though his first 14 starts for the Hops saw him earn a 4.84 ERA, Elbis pitched at a high level to begin 2024, throwing to a 2.79 figure in 16 starts.

That earned him another jump — this time to Double-A Amarillo. The increased offensive environment took a bit of an adjustment period, as Elbis threw to a 4.60 ERA in eight starts. But that was enough to get him on the radar.

He fell out of those rankings the following season, as he was unable to make a start for the organization. He landed on the 15-day Injured List on April 4, 2025, and was subsequently placed on the Restricted List for unknown reasons 11 days later on April 15.

Arizona did activate Elbis from the Restricted List late in September of 2025, but the right-hander would ultimately not pitch again for the organization. As of March 6, he is voluntarily retired.

Losing Elbis for the duration of 2025 was one of the many blows Arizona's minor league pitching depth has taken in recent seasons. Though the 23-year-old Elbis was likely some time away from a major league debut, the D-backs were quite thin in the pitching department — particularly with regard to their top-30.

They've since worked to replenish that depth. Arizona's current top-30 prospect rankings, newly-updated by MLB Pipeline, now features six pitchers in the top 15, and three in the top 10.