D-backs option catcher Adrian Del Castillo, recall reliever Scott McGough

The Arizona Diamondbacks optioned rookie catcher Adrian Del Castillo to Triple-A Reno on Monday and recalled reliever Scott McGough.

The D-backs’ moves leave starter Gabriel Moreno and backup Jose Herrera as the team’s catchers.

Moreno was activated Sunday after sitting out most of August and the first half of September with an adductor strain. Without him, Arizona struggled to deter aggressive base-running opponents, with Herrera and Del Castillo throwing out five of 52 steal attempts.

Del Castillo was among MLB’s lowest-rated catchers when it came to caught-stealing percentage at second base.

According to Baseball Savant, he also measured out with relatively slow pop times (the time from the catcher receiving a pitch to the second baseman receiving the ball) and slow exchange times (time from receiving a pitch to releasing the ball on a throw).

But on offense, Del Castillo provided an immediate burst for the D-backs upon his first call to the big leagues. He produced three-RBI games in his second and third appearances in August, as Arizona won six games in a row and 12 of 14 to begin his time with the team.

Del Castillo is batting .313 with a .893 OPS, four homers and 19 RBIs as he departs back to Triple-A.

He wasn’t cooling off recently, either, with seven hits, three doubles, one home run and five RBIs in his last four games played.

McGough slides into a bullpen that designated Dylan Floro for assignment on Sunday.

The 34-year-old McGough has been up and down between the majors and minors this year. With the D-backs, he has appeared in 23 games this season but holds a 6.83 ERA and 1.62 WHIP.

McGough has pitched 36.1 frames for the Reno Aces with a 3.22 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in the minors.

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