Torey Lovullo Gives Concerning Gabriel Moreno Update

While no hard timeline for return was offered, the D-backs manager made clear this is not the best case scenario

Aug 5, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno (14) celebrates his solo home run in the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo spoke to the media this afternoon, giving health updates among other information. Of most interest to everyone is the status of Gold Glove catcher Gabriel Moreno.

Placed on the 10-day IL with a left abductor strain, Lovullo said that Moreno is still being evaluated and that they are seeking second opinions on his imaging. While he could not answer the question of what grade the strain Moreno has, Lovullo's update made clear that Moreno is going to be out at least until the end of August, if not longer.

"It's going to be more than 10 days down. We're talking for several weeks. We're trying to find out how much time that will be. I want to give you the final details at one time."

On follow-up, Lovullo was asked if Moreno was in danger of missing the rest of the season. "I want to remain optimistic. He'll return before the season is over, that's my gut feeling. I'm getting a lot of really positive responses when I ask that same question."

The loss of Moreno is a blow to the Diamondbacks to be sure. He was hitting .262/.344/.385, .729 OPS, and had been hot since the All-Star Break. While his defense numbers were not as high as last year, they were still solid and he had 2.1 WAR at the time of his injury.

Jose Herrera will be the starting catcher in place of Moreno. Herrera is batting .216/.326/.270, .596 OPS. His defense rates around league average, but as a backup he's done a good job filling in when called upon.

"I always worry about a prime position switch," said Lovullo. "But we have a very reliable backup in Jose Herrera who knows our schemes and our game plan as good as anybody. He can step in, as he did several times last year in the Postseason. So I'm comfortable there."

The Diamondbacks called up rookie catcher Adrian Del Castillo to fill Moreno's roster spot. Considered a bat-first catcher, he was batting .319 with 24 homers and 70 RBI in 100 games for Reno.

Del Castillo made his major league debut in game two of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Guardians. He doubled off the top of the wall for an RBI double in his first major league at bat and later drew a walk. Lovullo was excited to see his new catcher.

"There's always some excitement for me when I see somebody like Del Castillo step into this environment. He's done a great job and put himself on the map this year in Reno. Had a tremendous offensive year....he's really figured out his swing and his approach."

Defense is the first priority for catchers however. It was in this area there might have been some questions about Del Castillo, but we spoke to Shaun Larkin, the D-backs farm director prior to his call up. He gave strong indications that Del Castillo's defense has come a long way. That seemed to be the case on Wednesday, and Lovullo noticed.

"We place a lot of emphasis on what our catchers are able to do defensively. He's very smart, he's studying a lot and quickly. He stepped in yesterday and by the second inning, I'd taken my eyes off of him. I felt like he was doing exactly what he needed to do and got a good rhythm with [Eduardo Rodriguez] So far so good. I know it's only one game, but we feel very strongly about him."

He was praised by Eduardo Rodriguez for his receiving and game calling and the ease with which they both got on the same page. The two had worked together in spring training, so had some familiarity. Rodriguez also felt it was easier to get together as Del Castillo speaks Spanish.

"He followed my lead, I followed his sometimes, and we did a really good job. I liked the way he was catching it, I like the way he was calling the pitches, the way he was positioning himself for the pitches."

The Diamondbacks will need to lean heavily on Herrera and Del Castillo. They also just made a waiver wire pickup earlier today. As reported by Alex D'Agostino, Andrew Knizner was picked up off waivers from the Texas Rangers and assigned to Triple-A Reno.