Jake McCarthy Recalled from Reno, Pavin Smith Sent Down

Jake McCarthy will be joining the Diamondbacks in New York, as the Diamondbacks have recalled him from Triple-A Reno while optioning Pavin Smith to Reno.

Jake McCarthy has a locker at Citi Field. Looks like Pavin Smith was sent out.
— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) September 12, 2023

McCarthy had hit .383 with a 1.059 OPS in 23 games since being sent down to Reno on August 13th, winning back-to-back Pacific Coast League Player of the Week awards over the last two weeks. I wrote earlier today about whether he had done enough to warrant another opportunity, breaking down his batted ball performance over that stretch. With a skill set that has value in the postseason, where every 90 feet is hard-fought, getting him MLB at-bats down the stretch could pay dividends.

The outfield is a bit crowded, as the team is playing Corbin Carroll, Tommy Pham, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on an everyday basis and Alek Thomas starts in center field against right-handed starters. There isn't much of a path for playing time other than taking a handful of at-bats from Gurriel, Pham, and Thomas down the stretch. McCarthy will take on a fifth outfielder role, as a late-inning pinch runner and defensive replacement for Gurriel or Pham and the occasional start in center or right field.

McCarthy's 98th percentile Sprint Speed and aggressive baserunning will be an asset when they need to play small ball to score runs. His 26 stolen bases still ranks second on the team behind Carroll's 47 and his reputation provides a distraction for pitchers when the lineup turns over. That will also give the D-backs a better chance to score runs, as that will lead to mistakes an opportunities to put up crooked numbers on the scoreboard.