D-backs place Merrill Kelly on 15-day IL, option Joe Mantiply

The Arizona Diamondbacks placed starting pitcher Merrill Kelly on the 15-day injured list with right calf inflammation and optioned reliever Joe Mantiply to the Triple-A Aces, the team announced Monday.

Additionally, the D-backs recalled pitchers Kevin Ginkel and Justin Martinez from the Aces. It marks Martinez’s first call up to the big leagues.

Ahead of Tuesday’s matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays, skipper Torey Lovullo told reporters Kelly was dealing with a blood clot in his lower right leg and flew back to Arizona separately on Monday.

Kelly’s placement on the IL comes after the starter allowed five earned runs on 10 hits and two walks to two strikeouts across five innings pitched in a 7-6 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday.

The hurler is 9-4 this season with a 3.22 ERA through 16 starts in 2023.

Mantiply has appeared in 13 games (15.2 innings pitched) for the D-backs in 2023. He sports a 5.74 ERA and 1.02 WHIP to go along with 10 earned runs and 14 strikeouts to one walk.

It’s been a tough season for the pitcher, who has had two stints on the injured list and has failed to find consistency this season.

His last two outings were especially rough, with Mantiply allowing four earned runs on four hits (two home runs) across 2.1 innings of work.

With Mantiply struggling, Arizona has turned to a committee of relievers led by Andrew Chafin and his team-leading eight saves to go along with 10 holds. Scott McGough has the most holds in Arizona’s bullpen with 12, while Miguel Castro sits at eight with seven saves in 2023.

That’s not to say Mantiply hasn’t shown he can get the job done.

The reliever was Arizona’s lone All-Star Game representative in 2022 after stringing together a productive couple months of work.

Through June of last season (31 games played), Mantiply was one of the team’s bright spots behind a 1.24 ERA, two saves and six holds.

Mantiply represented the D-backs well in the All-Star Game, recording a strikeout over an inning of work.

Martinez, 21, quickly went from Single-A-Plus levels of the minor leagues in 2022 to Triple-A Reno as a reliever. In his first full year with the Aces this season, Martinez has given up 13 earned runs and 21 hits across 28 innings and 25 appearances. He’s struck out 38 and walked 27.

MLB Pipeline ranks Martinez as Arizona’s 18th-best prospect.

Now a full-time reliever, Martinez sprinted through the Minors with stops at four affiliates (including a late-season move to Triple-A Reno) and the Arizona Fall League before he was added to the 40-man roster in November.

The 6-foot-3 hurler touched triple digits in the Fall League as he continued to regain his strength and was typically around the 96-99 mph range during his time with Salt River.

Ginkel has appeared in 25 games this season (29.1 innings pitched). He’s sporting a 2.76 ERA to go along with 26 strikeouts to nine walks.

The D-backs are back in action Tuesday night against the Tampa Bay Rays. First pitch is slated for 6:40 p.m. and can be heard on Arizona Sports 98.7, the Arizona Sports app and ArizonaSports.com.

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