Diamondbacks Designate Nabil Crismatt, Select Ryan Thompson

The Diamondbacks announced that right-hander Nabil Crismatt has been designated for assignment.  The move opens 40-man and 26-man roster space for Ryan Thompson, as Arizona has selected Thompson’s contract from Triple-A.

Crismatt’s own contract was selected to the active roster just last week, and the righty threw two scoreless innings in yesterday’s game for his lone appearance in this stint with the D’Backs.  For the 2023 season as a whole, Crismatt has an 8.31 ERA over 13 innings with Arizona and San Diego, as Crismatt selected free agency after being DFA’ed and then outrighted by the Padres back in June.  Catching on the Diamondbacks on another minors contract, Crismatt at least made it back to the big leagues for one game but now might be on the move again.

Should Crismatt again clear waivers, he still has the right to elect free agency rather than an accept an outright assignment to Triple-A Reno.  It isn’t necessarily the case that Crismatt will pursue this route again after choosing to leave the Padres, as there are any number of reasons Crismatt might be more comfortable biding his time with the Diamondbacks’ top affiliate.  September roster expansion could provide another opportunity in due course, or Crismatt might get another look simply by dint of how the D’Backs have been cycling through many relievers this season in search of any bullpen stability.

This search for relievers led the Diamondbacks to a minor league deal with Thompson earlier this week.  The Rays designated and subsequently released the right-hander this month, adding to a difficult season that included a 6.11 ERA over 17 2/3 innings and a recent minor elbow injury.

Arizona’s contract with Thompson had an August 28th opt-out date, so the clock was ticking on the team’s decision to bring him up to the Major League roster.  While the results haven’t been there for Thompson this season, he had a 3.17 ERA over 76 2/3 frames for Tampa Bay in 2021-22, making him an interesting acquisition for the D’Backs.  Thompson is also controllable through the 2026 season, so he is a potential long-term option for Arizona beyond how they might deploy him down the stretch.