D-backs Suffer Another Pitcher Injury, Recall Righty Reliever

The Arizona Diamondbacks have placed right-handed reliever Kendall Graveman with a right hip impingement, the team announced Monday. In a corresponding move, right-hander Christian Montes De Oca was recalled from Triple-A Reno.

It was a long road back to the majors for Graveman, as the right-hander suffered a lumbar strain that prevented him from joining the team to open the season. He had previously spent the entirety of the 2024 season recovering from shoulder surgery.

Graveman's limited appearances had not been exceptionally successful, although he did provde some solid middle-inning relief at times. In his first eight appearances, he had pitched to a 2.45 ERA, but suffered a blowup outing on Sunday, June 7 against the Cincinnati Reds.

In that outing, he allowed five hits, two walks and hit a batter. He also gave up a grand slam, totalling five earned runs in just one inning.

That, of course, ballooned his season ERA to 8.64. That number is not indicative of how well he had pitched, but he also had not been used in high leverage, and his command appeared to still be a work in progress at times.

Graveman's necessary absence from the D-backs' bullpen provides another opportunity for Montes De Oca. Montes De Oca got his first call-up to the majors on May 16, but the hard-throwing righty was never able to see any game action in that initial stint.

He was later recalled as the 27th man for Arizona's doubleheader against the Reds on June 7. In that appearance, Montes De Oca looked quite solid, topping 98 MPH on his sinker and showing generally sturdy command of each of his pitches.

Though he hadn't been used as a pure long reliever in Triple-A, he was asked to pitch 2.2 innings on 46 pitches in his MLB debut.

Admittedly, that came in a blowout, following Graveman's disastrous outing, but Montes De Oca managed to keep the Reds down. He allowed one walk and did not allow a base hit while collecting his first two major league strikeouts. He was then sent back to Reno, but not for performance-related reasons.

The righty tallied a 4.07 ERA in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League for Reno, and punched out 26 batters against just six walks in 24 Triple-A innings.

Due to the injury (and his usage as the 27th man), Montes De Oca's usual 15-day waiting period was waived, and he was eligible to be recalled immediately. If he continues to perform, he could be a valuable arm for a struggling Arizona bullpen.

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