Diamondbacks September call-ups: Jorge Barrosa, Slade Cecconi recalled

PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks recalled outfielder Jorge Barrosa and reliever Slade Cecconi from Triple-A Reno for their September call-ups on Sunday before a matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

MLB teams can field 28-man rosters for the final month of the regular season with no more than 14 pitchers.

Barrosa adds an elite defensive outfielder who can slide into multiple positions. He possesses plus-speed and is a switch-hitter, giving the D-backs some versatility in how to use him off the bench.

The 23-year-old has played 61 games for the Aces this year with a .269/.364/.423 slash line, six homers and 10 steals. He has missed time due to two stints on the injured list but has been playing regularly over the last couple months.

First AB = First hit for Jorge Barrosa!! pic.twitter.com/FemMkipkoQ

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) April 2, 2024

Barrosa made his MLB debut back in April after Alek Thomas suffered a hamstring injury, playing in three games. He went 2-for-10 with an RBI, delivering a double in his first plate appearance. He returned to Triple-A after only four days, as Randal Grichuk was ready to debut after offseason ankle surgery.

The 5-foot-6 outfielder is Arizona’s No. 20 prospect on MLB Pipeline.

“Barrosa, we just like the outfield depth and the ability for him to move around,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “He can hit right-handed, so if I need somebody off the bench that’s a very capable at-bat, we felt comfortable with that. He can base run, he can be a defensive replacement. So there’s a lot of versatility. Versatility was the primary factor for us.”

Cecconi has been recalled for the fourth time this season, second time since his role changed from starter to reliever.

The Diamondbacks counted on him to start games for much of the first half due to injuries, as Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez, Ryne Nelson, Zac Gallen and Jordan Montgomery all spent time on the IL at some point.

With a healthier arsenal of starters, the club moved Cecconi to the bullpen where he can still go multiple innings but ramp up his stuff for shorter outings. He is coming off three straight scoreless relief appearances for Reno with five strikeouts and no walks over his last four frames.

As a reliever, he has a 5.27 ERA in Triple-A with 27 strikeouts and five walks.

This season in the major leagues, Cecconi has a 6.14 ERA in 73.1 innings pitched. As a starter, he had a tendency to get through the batting order impressively the first time (.427 OPS) before struggling over the second and third rounds (1.178 OPS the second time through).

Slade Cecconi ⛽️⛽️

Love his K hop. pic.twitter.com/G21BoIMic7

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 4, 2024

“Slade, we feel like he’s been throwing the ball well,” Lovullo said. “There were times this year where it was a tough send down. … We need somebody that can go multiple innings, and Slade is a very good pitcher. He deserved this opportunity to come up here and show us what he could do.”

No Christian Walker, Ketel Marte or Alek Thomas?

Christian Walker (oblique) and Ketel Marte (ankle) are getting closer but were not ready to play at Chase Field on Sunday.

Marte took ground balls on the field before Saturday’s game and continues to hit, while Walker played five innings at Salt River Fields on Sunday. Walker is ahead of Marte in his progression, but Lovullo was clear on Saturday night that Walker would not be available this soon.

Injuries limited the Diamondbacks’ options for September call-ups elsewhere, as Thomas (oblique) and shortstop Jordan Lawlar (hamstring) are on the IL for Reno.

The Diamondbacks have two more games against the Dodgers before hitting the road to face the San Francisco Giants and Houston Astros.

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