Diamondbacks place RHP Luke Weaver on 10-day IL with elbow inflammation

The Diamondbacks announced that right-hander Luke Weaver has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to right elbow inflammation.  The placement is retroactive to April 8.  Left-hander Kyle Nelson has been called up from Triple-A to take Weaver’s spot on the active roster.  In other moves, the D-backs outrighted southpaw Caleb Baragar and righty Humberto Mejia to Triple-A, as both of the recently designated pitchers cleared waivers.

Weaver tossed two-thirds of an inning of relief work in Thursday’s 4-2 Arizona win over the Padres, allowing a run on three hits.  An elbow issue could be the reason behind that shaky outing, but Weaver was also dealing with a blister problem during the end of spring training.  Weaver worked exclusively as a starter in 2019-21, but the D-backs are using him as a reliever in the early going of the season, so this IL stint could delay any eventual return to the rotation.

Nelson will now step into Arizona’s bullpen, and the southpaw’s first appearance will mark his Diamondbacks debut.  Nelson has pitched in each of the last two seasons, with only a 12.19 ERA to show for 10 1/3 innings in The Show.  The D-backs claimed Nelson off waivers from the Guardians in November, after Nelson had spent all five of his professional seasons in Cleveland’s organization.