Diamondbacks Call Up Exciting New Relief Prospect

On Saturday, the Arizona Diamondbacks made a roster move, calling up right-handed relief prospect Juan Burgos from Triple-A Reno.

In a corresponding move, right-hander Casey Kelly was sent back to Reno, after he closed Friday night's win over the Colorado Rockies.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Call Up Juan Burgos

Burgos, 25, is an intriguing prospect. He came over to the D-backs from Seattle in the trade that sent All-Star third baseman Eugenio Suárez to the Mariners.

Burgos made his MLB debut this season with Seattle, allowing three runs over 6.2 innings of relief work in the majors. He struck out eight batters against just two walks.

In three of his four major league appearances, Burgos pitched more than a full inning. He pitched two full innings twice.

Though he was certainly the more major league-ready prospect of the two relievers received from the Suárez trade, Burgos began his stint in Arizona's organization with Triple-A Reno, slotting in as Arizona's No. 25 prospect per MLB Pipeline.

He threw two scoreless innings in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League in his first appearance, then was bit for two runs on three hits and a walk over one-plus innings in his second outing. Such is life in Reno.

Burgos has an interesting arsenal — with depth that one might see in a starting pitcher.

He throws an upper-90s sinker, but actually relies on a 90 MPH cutter as his primary pitch, pairing it with a hard-breaking sweeper. He also throws a curve and changeup on occasion.

In one sense, it's a low-risk move. Arizona's bullpen has been struggling, and Burgos can provide both length and a new look in relief.

The D-backs continue to offer plenty of opportunities to young players following their fire-sale trade deadline.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Option Casey Kelly

Kelly has primarily served as a starting pitcher for the Aces. He came up to provide length out of Arizona's bullpen if needed, but did not pitch more than one inning in either of his appearances.

Over just 1.2 innings of work, Kelly allowed two hits and walk, but did not give up a run. He closed out Friday night's win over the Rockies in relatively stress-free fashion, inducing a ground ball double play to erase a one-out walk.

Kelly is a 35-year-old veteran, who got most of his baseball action in Korea as a top-end starting pitcher, but signed a minor league deal with the D-backs this offseason.

In 18 appearances (14 starts) in Triple-A this season, Kelly has a 5.82 ERA and 1.71 WHIP.

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