Diamondbacks send Cristian Mena back to Triple-A, recall Joe Jacques

Mena made his major league debut against the Dodgers on Wednesday. He initially allowed four earned runs without before recording an out in the 1st inning, as Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez went deep off the rookie. While Mena did ultimately settle down, it took him 20 pitches before he recorded his first out in the majors. He ultimately exited after tossing three innings, with the four earned runs credited to his name.

Nevertheless, the D-backs stormed back to pick up a 12-4 win.

As for Joe Jacques, who is a former 33rd-round pick of the 2018 draft, he is expected to make his first appearance in a Diamondbacks uniform. In 2023, Jacques played with the Boston Red Sox, where he allowed 15 earned runs across 26.2 innings on the mound.

Jacques was claimed off waivers by the Diamondbacks back in April. Since then, he has allowed nine earned runs in 17 innings with the Reno Aces. Jacques was recalled by Arizona on June 6th, but he was optioned a day after.

According to Jesse Friedman at PHNX Sports, manager Torey Lovullo noted that the D-backs will elect not to go with a bullpen game when Mena’s next start comes up. Instead, it appears the Diamondbacks will call another arm up from Triple-A.

The Diamondbacks will look to secure a series win over the Dodgers with Zac Gallen on the mound. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:10 pm.