The Diamondbacks announced that they have taken an active role Aramis Garcia at Triple-A Reno and an infielder Jesus Valdez at Double-A Amarillo. Garcia was appointed to the assignment last week there Gabriel Moreno activated on the 10-day casualty list. There was no indication that Valdez had been removed from the 40-man roster. Arizona’s number of those 40 men is now down to 38.
Garcia, 33, is a veteran depth catcher who can’t make a choice. He is a talented outfielder but has hit just .210/.245/.321 in his career. That put him in a position to jump in and out of Arizona’s lineup in general. He signed a minor league deal with the Snakes before the 2025 season. Last year, he was named to the major league roster twice. In both cases, he was designated for assignment a few days later and sent back to Reno after going through waivers.
A sequence of events may be played out this year. Garcia was called up to the senior team to cover Moreno’s injury and was dropped when Moreno was reinstated. Garcia is eligible for free agency but may be comfortable sticking with the Aces and waiting for the next injury to pop up.
Valdez in particular may be a unique case. The 28-year-old was recently added to the team’s roster about a week ago. The Diamondbacks and Padres were playing in Mexico City and allowed the 27th man on the roster. Valdez was added to fill that extra bench for the Diamondbacks, called up to Double-A Amarillo. He did not appear in any of the games in Mexico City and was elected to return to the Sod Poodles after that series.
It looks like the Diamondbacks kept quiet and let him get drunk and no one blamed him. This isn’t particularly surprising since Valdez hasn’t been a standout in his career and is 28 years old playing in Double-A, although he does have Triple-A experience. As of the start of 2021, he has a combined slash line of .241/.292/.401 and a 76 wRC+ in the minor leagues.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
