The Diamondbacks are going to position catcher Gabriel Moreno on the 10-day injured listing with a groin harm, per John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports activities 98.7 FM on X. Fellow backstop Adrian Del Castillo may have his contract chosen to take Moreno’s place on the roster. The Snakes already had a 40-man emptiness so no additional strikes will likely be required.
Moreno got here up limping throughout yesterday’s recreation whereas attempting to expire a floor ball. He was faraway from the competition with what the staff described as a strained left groin. It’s nonetheless unclear how lengthy he’s anticipated to be out of motion but it surely’s a tough blow for the Diamondbacks regardless. Moreno is slashing .262/.344/.385 this 12 months for a 107 wRC+ with robust defensive grades as effectively. FanGraphs considers him to have been value 2.4 wins above alternative in 86 video games.
It’s the second IL stint of the 12 months for Moreno, who additionally missed a while on the finish of June as a result of a sprained left thumb. Previous to that, he had been sharing the catching duties with Tucker Barnhart, with José Herrera referred to as as much as pair with Barnhart in Moreno’s absence. As soon as Moreno was able to return in early July, the membership determined to maintain Herrera round, with Barnhart designated for task and finally launched.
That left the Diamondbacks with Moreno and Herrera as the one two backstops on the 40-man roster. Now that Moreno is heading to the IL once more, they should attain into their non-roster depth, which will get Del Castillo as much as the majors for the primary time.
Now 24 years previous, Del Castillo was chosen with a aggressive stability decide in 2021, going 67th total in that 12 months’s draft. Baseball America ranked him #29 in Arizona’s system coming into this 12 months however he has launched himself as much as #16 of their most up-to-date replace. He was #36 at FanGraphs earlier within the 12 months.
BA considers him subpar defensively however robust on the plate, which has proven up at occasions throughout his minor league profession. That’s very true right here in 2024, which is probably going why he earned such a notable bump within the BA rankings. In 100 Triple-A video games this 12 months, he has 24 house runs, an 11.5% stroll charge and a 16.8% strikeout charge. His .319/.403/.608 batting line interprets right into a 143 wRC+ even within the hitter-friendly environs of the Pacific Coast League.
If he can convey even a small portion of that manufacturing as much as the large leagues with him, it’s going to go a great distance in direction of compensating for the lack of Moreno. Herrera has hit simply .229/.308/.286 this 12 months for a 72 wRC+ together with his glovework graded as close to league common. Maybe Del Castillo can outperform him on the plate however even high prospects can wrestle when first uncovered to the majors. The membership may even have to contemplate that Herrera has a head begin on Del Castillo by way of constructing relationships with the pitching employees.
The Snakes are presently 61-52 and basically in a three-way tie for the Nationwide League Wild Card spots with Atlanta and San Diego. Atlanta is 60-51 and proportion factors forward of the 2 different golf equipment, who’re every 61-52. The Mets are simply 1.5 video games again of that group and 5 different golf equipment are simply behind New York. With that crowded playoff race, the significance of each recreation will likely be magnified going ahead. The catching scenario will doubtless evolve within the coming weeks, relying on how a lot time Moreno must miss and the way Del Castillo performs in his first style of the majors. Herrera is in his ultimate possibility 12 months and will likely be out of choices in 2025.
