Diamondbacks designate struggling right-hander for assignment

The Diamondbacks announced Sunday that right-hander Matt Bowman has been designated for assignment. Left-hander Blake Walston was recalled to the big league roster to replace Bowman on the club’s active roster.

Bowman, who will celebrate his 33rd birthday on Friday, joined the Diamondbacks earlier this month when he was acquired in a cash deal with the Twins. At the time of the deal, Bowman had been squeezed off of Minnesota’s 40-man roster despite a solid showing in five appearances, where he posted a 2.35 ERA in 7 2/3 innings of work. 

The wheels have come off for Bowman across his four appearances with Arizona, as he’s been shelled for six runs on eight hits and two walks in 6 2/3 innings of work that have ballooned his ERA to 5.02 on the year.

A 13th-round pick by the Mets in the 2012 draft, Bowman had considerable success with the Cardinals in the first two seasons of his big league career from 2016 to 2017. In a combined 126 1/3 innings of work, Bowman posted a solid 3.70 ERA (112 ERA+) with a stronger 3.47 FIP. 

That seemingly portended a successful career near the back of big league bullpens, but things didn’t work out that way, as Bowman struggled to well below average results with St. Louis the following season, prompting the club to part ways with him.

He pitched for the Reds in 2019 to an impressive 129 ERA+ in 32 innings of work, but a series of elbow injuries, including one that required Tommy John surgery, wiped out Bowman’s 2020-22 campaigns. The veteran resurfaced with the Yankees last year but was torched for a 9.00 ERA and 6.51 FIP in four innings of work before returning to the minor leagues. 

Arizona will now have one week to trade Bowman or attempt to pass him through waivers. The right-hander has been outrighted previously during his big league career and as a result can reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency should he so choose.

Replacing Bowman on the club’s 40-man roster is Walston, who is slated to take the ball for Sunday's start against the Marlins. It’ll be the first big league start and just the second MLB appearance of Walston’s young career. 

Arizona’s first-round pick in the 2019 draft, the 23-year-old climbed his way through up the minor league ladder to make his big league debut earlier this year, when he struck out five in 3 2/3 innings of work against the Dodgers while allowing two runs on three hits and four walks. That admirable effort against one of the league’s most intimidating offenses has earned Walston another opportunity in the majors thanks in part to the injuries facing the Diamondbacks rotation. 

Marquee offseason signing Eduardo Rodriguez has yet to throw a pitch for the club this year due to a strained lat, and he’s been joined on the 60-day injured list by veteran righty Merrill Kelly, who is battling a shoulder strain.