Diamondbacks select young lefty reliever Philip Abner, Kyle Backhus sent down

The Arizona Diamondbacks selected 23-year-old lefty Philip Abner from Triple-A Reno on Thursday and optioned Kyle Backhus.

Abner, who is yet to make his major league debut, has appeared in eight games for Reno, pitching 8.1 innings without allowing a run. He gave up just two hits with 11 strikeouts and three walks.

Abner began the season in High-A where he pitched to a 1.93 ERA over 11 appearances, holding opposing batters to a .184 average. He was then called up to Double-A where he had a 4.21 ERA in 34 appearances with a 6-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (42-7).

The southpaw was a sixth-round draft pick of the Diamondbacks in 2023.

He is eligible for the postseason as a replacement for one of Arizona’s pitchers on the injured list, such as A.J. Puk or Justin Martinez.

Backhus had appeared twice over the last nine games, getting tagged for one earned run on one hit and two walks over one inning. He has a 4.62 ERA in 32 appearances this season.

Diamondbacks in thick of Wild Card chase

Arizona entered Thursday, an off day for the club, 1.5 games back of the final Wild Card spot with nine games remaining. It trailed only the New York Mets.

The Diamondbacks will start a three-game series on Friday against the Philadelphia Phillies, who have already clinched the NL East.

Catch D-backs-Phillies at 6:40 p.m. MST on 98.7 FM and the Arizona Sports app.

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