Diamondbacks designate Jesus Sanchez for assignment, call up Adrian Del Castillo

What happened

The Arizona Diamondbacks officially designated outfielder Jesus Sanchez for assignment and called up catcher Adrian Del Castillo from Triple-A in the corresponding move, the club announced. The roster shuffle followed catcher Gabriel Moreno's early exit from Friday's 11-4 Arizona victory over San Diego, after manager Torey Lovullo described Moreno's left hamstring as "tender" — a characterization he offered to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert and other reporters.

Why it matters

With two games remaining in the regular season and a wild card berth still in play, Arizona needed a backup catcher on the active roster. Lovullo indicated the plan is for Moreno to serve as the designated hitter Saturday rather than catch, while James McCann handles duties behind the plate. Del Castillo, already on the 40-man roster, slots in as McCann's backup — a more practical solution than retaining Sanchez, who had functioned primarily as a DH-only option.

The timing also closes the door on any postseason role for Sanchez. Per Mark Polishuk at MLB Trade Rumors, Sanchez arrived via waiver claim from the Blue Jays fewer than two weeks before the move, a window too short to establish postseason roster eligibility even if Arizona advances.

Moreno's value as a hitter gives the DH arrangement real weight. On Friday, he scored from first base on Geraldo Perdomo's bases-clearing double in the top of the sixth before McCann replaced him at catcher ahead of the seventh — a sequence that illustrates both his offensive contribution and the caution the club is exercising. Lovullo's framing of the injury as not appearing "too serious" offers some reassurance, though Arizona is navigating this final weekend without room for extended absences.

The Sanchez move also comes a week removed from Arizona placing Corbin Burnes on the injured list with shoulder inflammation, a stretch of roster turbulence the club has had to absorb at the worst possible moment on the calendar.

The numbers

Sanchez managed just 2 hits across 16 plate appearances in an Arizona uniform. Per MLB Trade Rumors, that stretch pulls his season wRC+ down to 99. His time in Toronto painted a more productive picture in aggregate — a .260/.318/.416 slash line with a 105 wRC+ across 299 plate appearances — but the bulk of that production came early in the year. Over his final 111 trips to the plate between Toronto and Arizona combined, he hit .168/.279/.253, a run that made a DH-only profile increasingly hard to justify on a roster chasing October.

Where the club stands

Arizona enters Saturday at 86-74 (.538), sitting third in the NL West and eliminated from the division race. In the wild card picture, the Diamondbacks rank fourth, 1.0 game relative to the cut line. A six-game winning streak has kept the club in the conversation, and per MLB Trade Rumors, Arizona sits one game behind the Phillies for the final NL wild card berth — with the tiebreaker over Philadelphia already secured, a detail that adds real weight to every remaining result.

Saturday's game at Petco Park lists Walker Buehler as San Diego's probable starter, with Arizona's starter listed as TBD. Sunday closes the regular season with Michael Soroka taking the ball for Arizona against a TBD Padres starter.

What we don't know yet

Moreno's hamstring remains the central uncertainty. Lovullo's plan for him to DH Saturday is an encouraging sign, but whether he returns behind the plate before the regular season ends — or what his availability looks like if Arizona reaches the postseason — has not been established. The "tender" label carries the familiar ambiguity of late-September injury language: serious enough to prompt a roster move, vague enough to leave the full picture open.

Sanchez's next destination is also unresolved. Under general league roster rules, a player designated for assignment must be traded, released, or placed on waivers within seven days.

What to watch

Moreno's status is the thread to pull. A return to catching duties Sunday would suggest the hamstring concern has passed; remaining at DH or sitting entirely would signal the club is heading into a potential wild card scenario leaning heavily on McCann. Arizona's standing in the wild card race and Philadelphia's results over the weekend will determine whether any of this late-September roster maneuvering matters beyond Sunday afternoon.