The Arizona Diamondbacks optioned left-hander Tommy Henry and pitcher Luis Frias to Triple-A Reno on Wednesday and recalled pitchers Justin Martinez and Logan Allen from Reno in corresponding moves. Henry allowed five runs in 4 1/3 innings in Tuesday's extra-inning win over the Chicago Cubs and has a 6.87 ERA and 1.80 WHIP with eight walks and 18 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings over his first four starts of the 2024 season. The 26-year-old soft-tossing southpaw will go down to the farm to work on his craft while serving as starting pitching depth for the Snakes. He has become the odd-man out in Arizona's rotation with lefty Jordan Montgomery's debut with the team coming later this week.
With Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (lat) opening the year on the injured list, the two pitchers that were competing for the fifth spot in the starting rotation in spring training, Tommy Henry and Ryne Nelson, will both make the Opening Day rotation. Henry appeared to be behind Nelson in the battle for the fifth spot this spring, so he figures to be in more danger of getting booted once E-Rod makes his season debut. The 26-year-old southpaw pitches to contact and shouldn't be attractive outside of NL-only fantasy leagues. Nelson, 26, had a nice 2.66 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 20 1/3 Cactus League innings. He was underwhelming in 2023 with a 5.31 ERA and 1.42 WHIP but has more upside than Henry in NL-only affairs now that he's officially locked into a rotation spot in the desert.
Tommy Henry Made Mechanical Tweaks In The Offseason
Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Tommy Henry, who looked sharp in the team's Cactus League opener on Friday against the Colorado Rockies, focused on his hips and making his front side more sturdy in the offseason. It allows his release point to come out more consistently, and the positioning of it puts more stress on the bigger muscles in his shoulder than strain on his elbow. The 26-year-old southpaw is competing with Ryne Nelson, Slade Cecconi, Bryce Jarvis and others for the team's final starting rotation spot this spring. Henry got off to a nice start on Friday, giving up one hit while striking out three over two scoreless innings. His 2023 season ended early due to an elbow injury, but Henry is healthy now and showed great command of his pitches. Velocity isn't his thing, though, which gives him little fantasy upside as a streamer if he wins a rotation spot in Arizona.
Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Tommy Henry was named the team's starter for their Cactus League opener on Friday against the Colorado Rockies. Lefty Eduardo Rodriguez was initially supposed to get the starting nod, but the D-backs have decided to let him throw another live batting practice session on the back fields on Friday instead. The 26-year-old Henry is competing for the fifth and final spot in Arizona's rotation with Ryne Nelson this spring. Henry went 5-4 with a 4.15 ERA and 1.36 WHIP with 35 walks and 64 strikeouts in 89 innings over 17 outings (16 starts) in his second year in the big leagues in 2023. The soft-tossing lefty has only fanned 6.6 batters per nine innings in 136 big-league innings so far, and his lack of high-end velocity gives him very little upside in NL-only leagues if he wins a rotation spot out of spring training.
Ryne Nelson, Tommy Henry To Compete For Final Rotation Spot
Arizona Diamondbacks right-handers Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly return from last season, while left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez has been added to their starting rotation via free agency. Brandon Pfaadt seemingly has a leg up on the No. 4 spot given the way he pitched in the postseason. The fifth spot will be hard-fought between mainly righty Ryne Nelson and lefty Tommy Henry. Nelson spent the majority of the season as a starter for Arizona in 2023 and had a 5.31 ERA and 1.42 WHIP with 96 K's in 144 innings but was demoted to relief late in the year. Henry was a bit more effective with a 4.15 ERA and 1.36 WHIP with 64 strikeouts in 89 innings but was left off the postseason roster. Nelson has more upside as more of a strikeout pitcher, but either player could be useful in NL-only leagues if they win a rotation spot.
Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Tommy Henry (elbow), who has been on the injured list since July 29, could be available in a relief role for the team in the National League Championship Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, which starts on Monday. "His name is getting floated around a little bit, but not to be a starting pitcher," manager Torey Lovullo said. "We haven't built him up." Henry pitched in 17 games (16 starts) in 2023 and had a 4.15 ERA (4.89 FIP), 1.36 WHIP, 35 walks and 64 strikeouts in 89 innings pitched during the regular season in his second big-league campaign. The 26-year-old southpaw pitched into the sixth inning in five of his last seven starts. Henry could become an extremely valuable bullpen piece against some of Philly's big lefty hitters like Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper.
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Tommy Henry (elbow) landed on the 15-day injured list on Sunday. The left-hander has a 5-4 record with a 4.15 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 16 starts this season. But he's been bothered by elbow inflammation, which may explain his struggles on Friday against the Mariners. In a corresponding move, Arizona activated right-hander Cole Sulser (shoulder) from the 60-Day IL.
Arizona Diamondbacks southpaw Tommy Henry is taking the mound for Friday's start against Ben Lively and the Cincinnati Reds. The 25-year-old hurler has produced a 3.89 ERA over 78 2/3 innings this year but owns a 16.9% strikeout rate and 1.35 WHIP. The Reds have posted a .760 OPS against left-handers in 2023, so keeping Henry on the bench is probably a good idea. The sophomore is nothing special in any fantasy format, and fantasy managers should only roster him in deeper leagues.
The Arizona Diamondbacks optioned pitching prospect Tommy Henry to Triple-A Reno on Monday. There was a chance that Henry would get a look as a long reliever on the Opening Day roster, but it's now apparent that the team wants to continue developing him as a starter on the farm. Arizona's final starting rotation spot is now down to Ryne Nelson and Drey Jameson this spring, as expected. The 25-year-old left-hander needs to fix his control issues in the minor leagues before the team is comfortable with him pitching in the big leagues again. Henry made his major-league debut in 2022 and had a 5.36 ERA (5.88 FIP), 1.45 WHIP, 21 walks and 36 strikeouts in 47 innings over nine starts for the Snakes.
Tommy Henry
• SP
•
Diamondbacks
