What yesterday’s cuts say about Diamondbacks’ competitons

The Diamondbacks made their second round of roster cuts yesterday. Highlights included the demotions of Archie Bradley, Tyler Wagner and Gabby Guerrero. Just 41 remain two weeks ahead of Opening Day. These cuts were quite revealing about the state of several Diamondbacks competitions.

Firstly, the rotation is now set: Robbie Ray will be the fifth starter. This is not really surprising; Ray allowed just two runs in 9.2 innings this spring. This came as Bradley allowed ten runs in ten innings. Ray has the potential to become one of the game’s premier No. 5 starters now– his 3.52 ERA last season was second to just Noah Syndergaard amongst National League rookies.

This also seems to state that the middle infield positions are still up for grabs. Jean Segura has been the team’s best hitter this spring, so he should get one of the starting spots. This leaves Nick Ahmed, Chris Owings and Phil Gosselin competing for the final spot. All three players have been hitting on a torrid pace this spring, making this a tough choice for Chip Hale. Ahmed is batting .395, Owings is batting .324, and Gosselin is batting .387 this spring training. With all of these players hitting, this is a good problem to have if you’re the Diamondbacks.

Unsurprisingly, Socrates Brito also seems to be in line to make the team; possibly even pushing Yasmany Tomas for a starting outfield spot. Brito is batting .412 this spring. Minor league signee Rickie Weeks, who is batting .370, could also be in line for a spot off of the bench.

Paul Goldschmidt is only batting .297 and surprisingly has made it this far.