Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Cristian Mena has been officially called up ahead of Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. This move was expected after Jordan Montgomery (knee) was placed on the injured list on Tuesday. The 21-year-old holds a 4.90 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, and 89/38 K/BB ratio across 16 starts. Mena certainly has plenty of potential, but he won't be a recommended streaming option for Wednesday's start against the Dodgers slugging lineup.
Arizona Diamondbacks right-handed pitching prospect Cristian Mena has joined the team's taxi squad and is expected to make his major-league debut on Wednesday in a start on the road against the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers. The 21-year-old Dominican hurler went 3-2 in 16 starts (82 2/3 innings) for Triple-A Reno while posting a 4.90 ERA and 1.49 WHIP with 89 strikeouts and 38 walks before getting his first call to the big leagues. He's the D-backs' No. 11 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and could be headed right back to Reno after making a spot start in his first taste of the big leagues against one of the best teams in baseball. We'd advise against using Mena as a deep-league streamer in this matchup. He relies mostly on his breaking pitches for swings and misses and has shown trouble commanding his pitches at times in the minors.
Cristian Mena Strikes Out Nine Across Five Shutout Innings
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitching prospect Cristian Mena threw five shutout innings on Wednesday and tied a season-high nine punchouts. Through 50 innings with Triple-A Reno, Mena has a 3.42 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 54:25 K:BB ratio. The 21-year-old got a small taste of Triple-A ball last season but struggled with a 5.95 ERA across 19 innings. While Mena is showcasing his elite strikeout upside, he is still struggling with his control. Mena should be expected to reach the major leagues later this summer and could become a must-stash player if he lowers his walk rate over his next few starts.
Cristian Mena
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Diamondbacks
