SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The D-backs made a handful of roster moves Sunday, all but setting their 26-man roster and rotation ahead of Thursday’s Opening Night against the Cubs at Chase Field.
Here’s what you need to know:
The roster moves
The D-backs selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Garrett Hampson, placed left-hander Blake Walston on the 60-day IL and reassigned to Minor League camp right-hander John Curtiss, catcher Aramis Garcia and infielder Ildemaro Vargas.
What the roster moves mean for pitching staff
The D-backs are still one pitcher heavy with 14 left in camp. At the moment, that would mean that the final spot comes down to non-roster invitee Shelby Miller or Bryce Jarvis. They both, however, could make the roster if the D-backs were to put someone who has a previously undisclosed injury on the IL.
It’s also possible the team could find someone desirable on the waiver wire as clubs finalize their Opening Day rosters.
What the rotation will be
D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said the rotation would open the season in this order: Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Brandon Pfaadt, Eduardo Rodriguez and Corbin Burnes.
Heading into camp, Gallen, Burnes, Kelly and Rodriguez had spots locked in and it was a three-man race for the final spot between Pfaadt, Jordan Montgomery and Ryne Nelson.
While Pfaadt won the final spot in the rotation, both Montgomery and Nelson will also make the Opening Day roster as relievers. The D-backs will try to keep both Montgomery and Nelson stretched out so that, should they need one of them to step into the rotation at some point, they will be able to.
“You want to take the best group, the best pitchers, and we certainly feel like they were the right candidates,” Lovullo said of the decision to carry both Montgomery and Nelson as relievers. “Two guys that can give us some length and would solve some early problems with not wearing down the bullpen in those first few weeks of the season.”
Lovullo said that while Montgomery and Nelson “didn’t love the decision,” they did respect it.
As for why Pfaadt won the final rotation spot, it was in part due to his performance this spring as well as the way he’s pitched over the past two regular seasons for Arizona.
“Just the way he's been throwing the ball and the ability to repeat his delivery,” Lovullo said. “The stuff [this spring] was Brandon Pfaadt-like, and last year he had a tremendous year for us.”
What the rotation order means
This subhead could have been “Why is Burnes in the fifth spot?” The answer comes back to the fact that Lovullo didn’t decide on Gallen starting Opening Day over Burnes until later in camp, and Burnes is a creature of habit.
Burnes last pitched in a spring game on Friday, so if he started the second game of the season he would be doing so on one week’s rest. Lovullo said in a conversation he had with Burnes that the veteran wanted to stay on a five-day schedule, so he will pitch in a simulated game Wednesday and then start on the following Tuesday when the D-backs open a three-game series against the Yankees in New York.
“That was probably a technical error on my part,” Lovullo said. “I’ll take the responsibility for that.
“Corbin is a very routine-oriented player and I had yet to understand that until recently. He’s got a process, and I respect that and I blame myself for not getting to know him. Corbin is that important to me and this organization that I wanted to listen to him. He made it loud and clear that, through that partnership, this is what was most important to him.”
The final bench spot
The final bench spot came down to Hampson and Vargas and it was a tough decision for Lovullo, who was close to Vargas when he played in Arizona earlier in his career.
In the end, though, Hampson got the nod because, not only did he show he could play third, short and second this spring, but he can also play all three outfield spots. That, as well as his speed/baserunning advantage, won out over Vargas.
Senior Reporter Steve Gilbert has covered the D-backs for MLB.com since 2001.