Arizona Diamondbacks designate Wilmer Difo and Recall Jordan Luplow
By Jake Oliver
On Monday afternoon, the Arizona Diamondbacks announced two roster moves that would affect the current makeup of the Dbacks roster. The first was that Wilmer Difo, a veteran middle infielder, was designated for assignment to create roster space for another player that was being called up. That player wound up being Jordan Luplow, a veteran outfielder. The Diamondbacks' 40-man roster count is now at 39, perhaps signaling that a future prospect like Brandon Pfaadt might be promoted in the near future?
The Arizona Diamondbacks have called up hot-hitting Jordan Luplow for some extra right-handed power and batting for their next series against the Los Angeles Dodgers while dfa'ing Wilmer Difo.
Wilmer Difo, 30, has never been much of a hitter. He only hit .269 at Reno prior to being called up on September 1st. Since then, he has appeared in three games with the Arizona Diamondbacks and went 0 for 6 with a strikeout. This was Difo's third MLB team besides the Washington Nationals and Pittsburgh Pirates. He now will have the choice to decide upon returning to Reno or choosing free agency.
Meanwhile, Jordan Luplow was sent down to Triple-A on August 26th. Prior to then, he had been hitting a miserable .163/.261/.376/.637 with only 11 home runs, 54 RBI, five doubles, and 22 walks to 54 strikeouts in 203 plate appearances. He was with the team to be a great hitter against lefties but failed to provide much of an impact aside from hitting the occasional home run.
Since going down to Reno, the 28-year-old outfielder has hit .289/.33/.756 with six home runs, 14 RBI, and three doubles in 10 games. He struck out 9 times to two walks, but it was clearly a huge step forward. He rediscovered his power/hitting stroke and now the Dbacks have called him back up. This is likely due to the team being overly left-handed hitting dominant and facing at least two left-handed starting pitchers over the next three games. That's why he's batting 7th for the Dbacks on Monday night.