The Diamondbacks optioned Drey Jameson to Triple-A Reno ahead of their series opener against the Royals.
Left-hander Tommy Henry was already in line to be promoted Monday. Henry is starting the opener of a three-game set in what had been Madison Bumgarner’s spot in the rotation before the veteran was designated for assignment last week. However, the move to option Jameson comes as a surprise.
The 25-year-old rookie had been effective out of the bullpen before moving into the rotation when Zach Davies went down with a left oblique strain. He was also strong in his first start but struggled in each of his past two. He was unable to locate his fastball and struggled to get swings and misses with his slider, which is considered his best pitch. In Sunday’s loss to the Padres, he was removed after the first inning, having allowed three runs on three hits and three walks.
“If he pitched better, he’d still be here,” Diamondbacks Manager Torey Lovullo said. “That’s one of the things that (General Manager Mike Hazen) told him. A 43-pitch first inning puts us way behind, we’re kind of in a box, we’ve got to play a little catchup now with our bullpen. This was a direct response to what he did yesterday and a little bit of what he did in St. Louis as well.”
After Sunday’s game, Lovullo expressed frustration with Jameson throwing “mad balls” rather than dialing in his command once he started to struggle.
“I felt like that was unacceptable,” Lovullo said at the time. “I told him, he’s better than that.”
On Monday, he echoed that thought.
“The lack of fastball consistency, his inability to command his secondary stuff, we felt like he was becoming one dimensional out over the plate,” Lovullo said. “We just need him to get back into that form that we have seen — that we saw last year and have seen in spurts this year. And get prepared to be dominant again.”
Jameson threw just 14 of his 40 four-seam fastballs in the strike zone against the Padres and was wild with his slider, getting just one swing on six offerings.
Jameson said after the start that opposing hitters had become prepared for his slider, knowing that it was his best pitch. In turn, he became heavily reliant on his four-seamer. That issue could prove difficult to address. Jameson rarely throws his changeup or curveball, leaving him with a four-seamer, sinker and slider as his main offerings.
“We felt like the best thing for Drey at this point in time is to go down, get his timing, get his rhythm and find his stuff,” Lovullo said. “I said it last night: Good Major League hitters, when they know you’re throwing a fastball, will get wood on a bullet. I stand by his ability to make pitches and when he does, he’s going to find his way back here.”
In theory, Monday’s move means the Diamondbacks could go with a four-man rotation for the next two weeks. They have three off days between now and May 4.
Lovullo, though, shot down that idea.
“We have discussed the four-man,” Lovullo said. “We know the off days are there. It was thrown around. We have not made any decisions, but I don’t think a four-man rotation right now is anything we’re interested in.”
If the Diamondbacks do not change their mind regarding a four-man rotation, it would likely pave the way for their top pitching prospect, Brandon Pfaadt, to make his debut. Pfaadt has a 3.54 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings in Reno.
When the Diamondbacks made the call to use Henry to fill Bumgarner’s vacant rotation spot, Hazen confirmed that the decision came down to Henry and Pfaadt.
He is in line to pitch for Reno on Wednesday. Jameson’s rotation spot will next come up on Saturday against the Rockies in Denver.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks option Drey Jameson to Triple-A