Dbacks Bring Back Four Key Players From The D.L.

Apr 30, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Daniel Hudson against the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

On September 1st, the major league roster for all teams expands from the 25 man active roster, to the 40 man roster. Contenders are allowed to call up pieces that will push them over the top and into October, and teams that are playing for 2015 are allowed to evaluate players for next year. In this case the Arizona Diamondbacks are in the latter. They are one of 10 teams that are playing for next year.

However, they didn’t call up anybody from the minor leagues to evaluate them. Instead, they called up key pieces from the D.L that have been missing to much time. Frankly, its hard to evaluate the Diamondbacks season as a disaster, when they have suffered so many key injuries to key guys at the wrong time.

For the first time since 2012, Daniel Hudson is back on the major league roster. After two Tommy John Surgeries, and endless amounts of rehab, Hudson was on the charter plane that took the Dbacks to San Diego on Monday. As you can imagine, Hudson is really excited to be back.

This is what he told Steve Gilbert of MLB.com:

“Just being on the team flight last night and getting here and going to get a nice dinner and just walking over, just walking into the locker room,” Hudson said. “It’s pretty cool for the first time in a while.”

Hudson’s road has been tougher than most. He came back once, and then he suffered another torn UCL, and a second surgery was required. Hudson will be used as a reliever for the rest of the season, and this will probably be his role going forward. The Dbacks also called up OF Cody Ross from the D.L on Monday.

On Tuesday, the Dbacks activated both SS Chris Owings, and CF A.J Pollock. Both players were having great seasons when they got injured.

Owings won the shortstop job in spring training beating out Didi Gregorius, but he hurt his right shoulder on June 20th while trying to stretch a triple into an inside the park home run. Before the injury, Owings was having a rookie of the year caliber season. In 254 plate appearances, he was batting .276 with 6 HR and 21 RBI’s. He led the senior circuit in hitting through the first month of the season.

Pollock was having a breakout season at the plate and in center field before his injury. In 192 plate appearances, he was batting .316 with 6 HR and 15 RBI’s. Pollock will play CF the rest of the year. Meanwhile, Owings will get most of his reps at 2B. He was the Dbacks best hitter when he was injured.

Pollock will get most of his reps in CF, while Owings will play 2B. Gregorius has been playing SS, and the team had Owings playing second during his rehab stint.

Last night against the Padres, Pollock started in CF and went 0-4 at the plate with one strikeout. Owings pinch hit in the 8th for starter Wade Miley, and grounded out to short. Hudson and Ross have yet to appear in a game.