Diamondbacks Officially Release Veteran Pitcher

Littell spent the first portion of the 2026 campaign as a member of the Washington Nationals. He did not exactly produce positive results.

The right-hander threw to an ugly 4.97 ERA with the Nationals, mostly as a starting pitcher. Once he transitioned to bullpen role, his numbers looked much better, but Washington would ultimately still release him on August 7.

The Diamondbacks ultimately opted to bring Littell in three days later on August 10.

At the time, the idea was that he could provide some coverage to the bullpen as a more traditional long reliever, with upside to provide rotational depth should Arizona require it.

But Littell, despite a 4.2-inning scoreless Arizona debut, could not get his footing with the Diamondbacks. He was knocked around for 10 earned runs on 19 base hits in 7.1 innings over his next two appearances.

The Diamondbacks designated him for assignment on August 23, but he ultimately would end up clearing waivers. Rather than keep him in the minor leagues, he's been outright released.

Perhaps ironically, the Diamondbacks' rotation has deteriorated since then. A rotation that was already thin in terms of depth is still in need of some reinforcements. Michael Soroka has landed back on the injured list with arm inflammation.

Corbin Burnes, Zac Gallen and Ryne Nelson continue progressing from their own injuries, but questions remain about how much length they will be able to provide once they do make a return to the major league roster in the coming days.

Meanwhile, rookie Mitch Bratt struggled, and was subsequently sent down to Triple-A Reno. Arizona is going to turn to right-hander Jose Cabrera — another rookie with a small sample size of major league work — to start Thursday night's series opener against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park.

The Diamondbacks' group of starting pitchers has been carried by the efforts of Eduardo Rodriguez and Brandon Pfaadt for some time now. Clearly, Littell did not provide enough value or upside to stick around, but Arizona will need to get creative with their pitching staff moving forward.