Diamondbacks bump Luke Weaver to bullpen

Days before the season opener, the Diamondbacks made an unexpected change to their pitching staff, removing right-hander Luke Weaver from the rotation and sending him to the bullpen.

Manager Torey Lovullo said Weaver threw inconsistently within his outings this spring, his velocity fluctuating from inning to inning. Lovullo said he believes Weaver is better suited to get outs in short spurts.

“That’s part of it,” Lovullo said. “The other part of it is we have a lot of really good starting pitching. We have a very competitive camp here. That means we have to make some tough decisions. This was just the decision that was made.”

Lovullo did not say who would be awarded the vacant rotation spot, but the most likely candidate appears to be left-hander Caleb Smith, who turned in yet another strong performance — five scoreless, one-hit innings — on Monday against the Mariners in Peoria.

Smith has logged 11 scoreless innings in his past three outings, allowing just two hits and four walks while striking out 11.

Right-handers Humberto Castellanos and Corbin Martin are the other starting pitching options remaining in camp. If Smith gets the rotation spot, both Castellanos and Martin are expected to open in the rotation.

Weaver has had a tumultuous three-plus seasons with the Diamondbacks. Acquired as one of the key pieces in the Paul Goldschmidt trade with the St. Louis Cardinals, he was terrific for two months at the start of the 2019 season before running into elbow problems.

Weaver has never been able to replicate that success, turning in inconsistent performances each of the past two seasons while also dealing with a shoulder injury last year.

Weaver has made 37 appearances with the Diamondbacks, all as a starter. He pitched occasionally in relief for the Cardinals from 2016-2018.

When he spoke with reporters last month, Weaver sounded like he was treating his spring as most veterans would — namely, working on adjustments and not worrying about results. Lovullo, though, said Weaver took the news as well as could be expected.

“I don’t think he was happy,” Lovullo said. “He said, ‘I’m here to do whatever will help this team win.’ I thought it was a true team moment. I know where his heart lies. He needs to just go out and pitch and execute and take the ball when we hand it to him and go for as long as he can for as hard as he can.”

Lovullo still would not say the order of his starting rotation to open the year other than to acknowledge that left-hander Madison Bumgarner will take the ball in Thursday’s opener. Based on pitching assignments in recent days, it appears right-hander Merrill Kelly will start Friday followed by right-hander Zach Davies and Smith on Sunday, assuming he replaces Weaver.

Right-hander Zac Gallen, who had his progression slowed by offseason shoulder soreness, would then slot in to face the Houston Astros on Tuesday.

Long journey

Catcher Jose Herrera was told he had made the team as Carson Kelly’s backup. Herrera is the second-longest tenured player in the organization. Having signed at age 16 as an international free agent on July 2, 2013, Herrera is behind only shortstop Nick Ahmed, whom the Diamondbacks acquired in the Justin Upton trade on January 24, 2013.

“It’s been a long way to this moment,” Herrera said. “It’s a dream that I’ve been waiting my whole career and that I’ve been working hard for. This is just the beginning.”

Lovullo said Herrera will be the primary backup catcher and that Daulton Varsho will focus primarily on the outfield, where he figures to start on a regular basis in center field and right field.

Short hop

Lovullo said that after leaning toward keeping 15 pitchers as recently as last week, the club’s thinking has shifted in recent days and that it is now more likely that the Diamondbacks have 14 pitchers and 14 position players. That likely means infielder Jake Hager is in position to make the roster, though the Diamondbacks continue to explore trade possibilities for infielders.

***

Diamondbacks (ss) 3, Guardians 1

At Chase Field

At the plate: LF David Peralta and 1B Christian Walker connected for solo home runs, extending impressive springs for each. Peralta homered in the third inning, his fifth of the spring. He is 10 for 30 with five homers and a 1.362 OPS. Asked before the game who had impressed him most this spring, the first name manager Torey Lovullo mentioned was Peralta’s. “I’ve been really impressed by the consistency of his swing plane, the bat speed and the ability to back-spin a baseball,” Lovullo said. “It wasn’t just one game. He did it all spring training long. That stood out to me.” Walker’s homer came in the second, his third of the spring. He is 11 for 32 (.344) with a 1.119 OPS in exhibition games.

On the mound: RHP Zach Davies gave up just one run on two hits and a walk, striking out two, in 4 1/3 innings. He gave up some loud contact but managed to avoid major damage. More important, he was able to get his pitch count up to 60, putting him in position to throw around 75 pitches in his first start of the season, which likely will come this weekend vs. the San Diego Padres. RHP Dan Straily threw three scoreless innings in relief, giving up two hits and one walk.

Extra bases: CF Daulton Varsho made a terrific diving catch on a smash to deep right-center off the bat of 3B Jose Ramirez. Varsho raced toward the wall and made the catch on with a running dive just in front of the warning track. SS Geraldo Perdomo had a good day defensively, as well, making a pair of impressive plays, one on a diving stop, the other on an alert throw to third to cut down a runner trying to advance.

Tuesday’s game: Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen vs. Guardians RHP Aaron Civale, 12:40 p.m., Chase Field.

Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or nick.piecoro@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.