The Diamondbacks recalled right-hander Cristian Mena to start tonight’s game with the Dodgers. Arizona optioned reliever Gavin Hollowell to Triple-A Reno to create an active roster spot.
Mena is already on the 40-man roster. The White Sox selected his contract before last winter’s Rule 5 draft. Chicago traded Mena, one of their more talented pitching prospects, to take a flier on young outfielder Dominic Fletcher. Arizona optioned him out of Spring Training. Mena had spent the entire season in Reno, tossing 82 2/3 innings across 16 starts.
The surface results aren’t especially impressive. Mena owns a 4.90 earned run average. His 24.4% strikeout percentage is solid, but he has walked 10.4% of opponents. Mena has allowed 1.63 home runs per nine innings despite a decent 47% grounder rate. The home runs are likely a product of the extreme hitter-friendly nature of the Pacific Coast League.
Mena is one of the younger pitchers in Triple-A. He turned 21 last December. Baseball America ranked him 14th in the Arizona system over the winter, crediting him with a well-rounded arsenal headlined by a plus curveball. Keith Law of the Athletic ranked Mena ninth among D-Backs prospects in February with similar praise for his breaking ball. Both outlets suggest he could stick as a back-of-the-rotation starter so long as he continues to develop as a strike-thrower.
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