The Diamondbacks announced Sunday that they’ve placed right-hander Paul Sewald on the 15-day injured list with discomfort in his neck, retroactive to Sept. 12. In a corresponding move, catcher Gabriel Moreno was activated from the 10-day injured list. The news comes as something of a surprise, particularly given the fact that Arizona announced that it has designated right-hander Dylan Floro for assignment to make room for Blake Walston on the club’s active roster less than two hours before making this second series of roster moves.
Sewald, 34, has pitched just once since Sept. 2 and has struggled in recent weeks, with a 7.71 ERA and 4.89 FIP in seven innings of work since Aug. 19. Those struggles when on the mound and his extended stretches without pitching at all could be explained to an extent by the injury, but if Sewald has been hurt, it’s surprising that the Diamondbacks have kept him on the roster rather than opening a spot in their bullpen for a fresh arm. Sewald will be eligible to return before the end of the regular season due to the back-dated nature of his placement on the IL, although no timetable for his return has been announced at this point.
Acquired from the Mariners at the trade deadline last year, Sewald was among the most coveted closers in the game at the time with a 2.88 ERA and 3.34 FIP in 171 2/3 innings of work for the Mariners since he landed with the club prior to the 2021 season. Things haven’t gone well for him since moving to the desert, however, as he walked 12.5% of batters faced down the stretch with Arizona last year and has two blow-up outings in the World Series against the Rangers, although those rough appearances were preceded by eight dominant outings throughout the postseason prior to that. Headed into 2024, Sewald retained his role as closer for the Diamondbacks and looked dominant early in the year before eventually losing that distinction back in August after a brutal month of July where he surrendered 12 runs in 10 innings of work across 12 appearances.
Given Sewald’s deep struggles in the second half this year and his apparent injury troubles, it’s not clear where he stands in the Arizona bullpen as the club looks ahead towards what it hopes will be its second consecutive playoff push. A return to form in the postseason would be a huge boost for not only the Diamondbacks but also Sewald’s own fortunes, as the 34-year-old is scheduled to reach free agency this winter in a free-agent class that figures to be fairly deep in terms of relievers with late-inning experience.
In Sewald’s place, Moreno returns to the roster a bit earlier than expected. The youngster was described earlier this weekend as “very close” to returning alongside Lourdes Gurriel Jr. but seemed likely to be targeting a return to action later this week. With the 24-year-old now seemingly ready to step back into his regular role behind the plate, the Diamondbacks will now get to utilize his two-way talent rather than having to choose between a strong defender with lackluster hitting ability in Jose Herrera and an impressive bat with defensive question marks behind the plate in Adrian Del Castillo. Moreno was in the midst of a fine season prior to his injury, slashing .262/.344/.385 slash line with a 105 wRC+ in 314 trips to the plate this year.