ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Diamondbacks to promote hot-hitting infielder Kevin Cron
Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Kevin Cron fields a ground ball hit by Milwaukee Brewers' Corey Ray in the seventh inning of a spring training baseball game Friday, March 8, 2019, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
The Arizona Diamondbacks offense needs a boost and the team will be calling up a player to help do that.
John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station reports the team will call up infielder Kevin Cron from the Triple-A Reno Aces. Cron plays first and third but Gambadoro reports Cron will primarily serve as a first baseman and pinch hitter with the D-backs.
Cron has been on fire in Reno, hitting .339 with 21 home runs and 62 RBI. Cron’s 21 home runs are the most at any level this season and he boasts an absurd 1.237 OPS. The 26-year-old is not listed in MLB Pipeline’s top 30 Diamondbacks prospects. He was selected in the 14th round by the D-backs in the 2014 MLB Draft and 2019 is his second full season playing at the Triple-A level.
The D-backs are coming off being swept in three games by the San Diego Padres, a series in which they scored only five total runs. In the month of May, Arizona has seen a handful of hitters tail off. Six of their 10 batters who have at least 30 plate appearances are hitting under .250: Eduardo Escobar (.247), Nick Ahmed (.234), Adam Jones (.233), Christian Walker (.197), Jarrod Dyson (.190) and Blake Swihart (.176).
The best hitter for the team in May has been infielder Wilmer Flores at a batting average of .347, but Flores was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday and it was revealed Wednesday that he has a fracture in his right foot.
At this time, there is no estimated day of arrival for Cron with the D-backs. Arizona was off on Thursday and begins a three-game series in San Francisco against the Giants on Friday.
