Diamondbacks trade reliever Kyle Backhus to Phillies for minor league OF Avery Owusu-Asiedu

The Arizona Diamondbacks traded southpaw side-armer Kyle Backhus to the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday for minor league outfielder Avery Owusu-Asiedu.

Owusu-Asiedu was not on Philadelphia’s active roster, so the trade opened a spot on Arizona’s 40-man team. The Diamondbacks soon after made Merrill Kelly’s signing official and needed a 40-man roster spot for him.

Additionally, pitcher Bryce Jarvis was outrighted to Triple-A Reno after having been designated for assignment.

Backhus, a 27-year-old reliever, made his MLB debut for the Diamondbacks this past season. He pitched in 32 contests, earning his first two career saves as one of 17 pitchers to save games for the club in 2025.

He was an undrafted signee in 2021 out of Sam Houston State who worked his way through the system to reach the big leagues, where he had some moderate success early on as the club dipped into the minor leagues to see which relievers could stick.

The lefty showed promise as a rookie, competing with a funky arm slot and generally limiting walks and barrels.

Backhus did not allow a run through his first four appearances and worked a 1.86 ERA through 10 games. He went through some ups and downs in the second half of the season, ultimately leading to an option back to Triple-A Reno.

Backhus was excellent against lefties, but righties crushed him. He allowed a .139 batting average and .503 OPS when facing left-handed hitters, but righties hit .365 with a .988 OPS against him. In an era with the three-batter minimum rule when lefty specialists are devalued to an extent, that was an issue he’ll have to continue to work through with a new organization.

The Phillies traded left-handed reliever Matt Strahm to the Kansas City Royals earlier on Friday, so Backhus fills a need in their bullpen and should compete for a big league job.

Diamondbacks acquire Avery Owusu-Asiedu

As for Owusu-Asiedu, the 22-year-old from Saskatoon, Canada, reached High-A in 2025 after getting drafted in 2023. He was a ninth-round pick out of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Owusu-Asiedu is 6-foot-4, 230 pounds and played all three outfield positions in 2025, spending most of his time in left field.

🦀💣 First BlueClaws home run for Avery Owusu-Asiedu, right down the line! pic.twitter.com/djNse8wdpB

— Jersey Shore BlueClaws (@BlueClaws) July 4, 2025

He hit .258 with a .752 OPS in 107 minor league games, smacking seven home runs with 33 stolen bases. He struck out 24% of the time and walked 13.6%. MLB averages, to compare, are 22.2% and 8.4%, respectively, so his ability to work walks on paper appears to be an organizational fit with what Arizona wants to see.

MLB Pipeline moved him into the No. 27 spot on Arizona’s prospects rankings, as he provides upside with lots of speed, a strong outfield arm and some pop.

Owusu-Asiedu was assigned to High-A Hillsboro, according to the transactions page.

“We like his upside,” general manager Mike Hazen said. “He’s got power potential. He is a big kid. He can run, he hits the ball really hard, the performance within his ability to cut down his strikeouts. … We feel like he’s an intriguing prospect.”

Avery Owusu-Asiedu made a great catch at the wall earlier, and now adds a missile of a solo homer to his day, this one off the bat at 109.4 mph pic.twitter.com/941h7v0GRj

— Mitch Rupert (@Mitch_Rupert) May 29, 2025

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