Diamondbacks notes: Walston headed for Tommy John surgery, Hampson to play outfield
Arizona Diamondbacks left-handed pitcher Blake Walston will need season-ending Tommy John elbow surgery, manager Torey Lovullo announced before Friday's spring training game against the Cincinnati Reds at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.
The 23-year-old Walston, who is on the Diamondbacks' 40-man roster and pitched in seven major league games for the team last season including his big league debut, had appeared in three spring training games for Arizona. He complained of elbow discomfort after his most recent outing on March 9 in Las Vegas against the A's, Lovullo said.
"Terrible news for him. Terrible news for all of us," Lovullo said. "The investment that he's made, continuing to work and grow and progress in the system, it's just going to be put on hold for 14 months, give or take a month. It's part of the game, it happens and maybe there's a sense of relief that he knows what's going on... he's going to step out for a little while and come back stronger than ever."
The news on right-handed pitcher Kendall Graveman was much more positive. The veteran who has dealt with back tightness will throw an "aggressive bullpen," Lovullo said, for his next outing. There's no date set on when Graveman, who is competing for a bullpen spot, will pitch.
Starting rotation candidate Jordan Montgomery's next outing will be in a spring training game with a target date of March 19, Lovullo said. The feedback Lovullo got on Montgomery's outing Thursday at Salt River Fields — that Montgomery felt good and threw the ball where he wanted to — was positive.
Roster moves
The Diamondbacks announced several roster moves on Friday, with left-handed pitcher Tommy Henry, infielder Grae Kessinger and outfielder Jorge Barrosa all optioned to Triple-A Reno. That removed Kessinger from competition for a backup infield spot that is now between Ildemaro Vargas, Garrett Hampson and Jordan Lawlar.
Right-handed pitchers Jeff Brigham and Juan Morillo, left-handed pitcher José Castillo, infielder Connor Kaiser and outfielder Cristian Pache were all re-assigned to minor league camp Friday.
Lovullo said the pitchers sent to the minors were running out of innings and opportunities to take the mound, while the Diamondbacks need to get their major leaguers ready for the regular season.
"The position players, we had some very tough decisions to make," Lovullo said. "The couple that I did get a chance to talk to, they're exceptional, talented players. They're just going to continue their development in the minor leagues and find their way also back to the major leagues as soon as possible."
Vargas and Hampson will start to get more looks at shortstop, where Geraldo Perdomo is set to start, in spring training games. Lawlar will get looks at third base, and Hampson will also be evaluated in the outfield.
Hampson, who has seven seasons of major-league experience, was set to be the backup in center field Friday, start Saturday's game in left field and start at shortstop in next Monday's game.
"It's a tough evaluation, We've got three really good players there," Lovullo said.
Starting pitching decisions
Lovullo hasn't set his starting rotation yet, and said it's been agonizing for him to decide the order. He did affirm that the top four starters will likely be Corbin Burnes, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez, who started Friday's game.
Missing C-Walk
Lovullo said he will miss penciling in longtime former first baseman Christian Walker in the fourth spot in the batting order — and will miss Walker the person as well.
"I'm so proud of where he's at and the contract he got with the Houston Astros, and he's going to bring that expertise and that stability to a new manager, a new organization," Lovullo said. "I wish him nothing but the very best outside of every game that we play him. I'd bring him 200 lemons every spring training, he'd make the most unbelievable limoncello for the entire group. I miss the baseball conversations I had with him, I miss the consistency of the at-bat, the consistency of the defense."
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Season-ending surgery for Diamondbacks pitching project Blake Walston
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