The Arizona Diamondbacks made a pair of significant roster moves ahead of their weekend series with the Washington Nationals by optioning right-hander Kevin Ginkel and infielder Jordan Lawlar to Triple-A Reno.
In their place, the club is selecting the contract of Reno right-hander Jeff Brigham and signing infielder Ildemaro Vargas to a major league deal, a few days after he had opted out.
The decision with Ginkel is the most surprising. He had been a mainstay in the club’s bullpen over the past few years, pitching effectively as one of manager Torey Lovullo’s more trusted setup men.
But he opened this season on the injured list with a shoulder issue and has not been the same since returning in late April.
The moves come at a time when the Diamondbacks have lost seven of their past eight games.
In 13 appearances, Ginkel has given up 14 runs in 10 innings and has contributed to two of the club’s more stunning defeats. He allowed five runs to both the Dodgers on May 9 (a 14-11 loss) and the Pirates on Tuesday, May 27, in a game the Diamondbacks led, 6-0, before losing, 9-6.
Lawlar struggled badly in his 2 1/2 weeks in the majors, going 0-for-19 with three walks. He was up and down defensively, finishing his stint on a bad note by making two errors in a loss on May 28.
In his defense, he did not receive consistent playing time, starting only a few times a week while bouncing between multiple positions, a challenging situation for a young player yet to establish himself in the majors.
Lawlar is regarded as the top prospect in the Diamondbacks’ organization and was widely viewed as one of the top prospects in the majors prior to his promotion.
Brigham, 33, who was in big-league camp this spring with the Diamondbacks on a minor league deal, has a 5.23 ERA in 17 appearances with Reno. He has 32 strikeouts and nine walks in 20 2/3 innings.
Vargas triggered an opt-out in his minor league contract earlier in the week to become a free agent, but the Diamondbacks are signing him back and adding him to the roster to take Lawlar’s place. This will be Vargas’ third stint with the Diamondbacks (also: 2017-2020 and 2021).
Vargas was hitting .261/.330/.397 with five homers in 199 at-bats for Reno.
