Gallen set to face Marlins for first time since trade
ST. LOUIS — Had the stars aligned with the pitching schedule, this road trip could have been a Zac Gallen revenge tour, with starts against the Cardinals and Marlins, the two clubs that traded him early in his career.
Instead, the Diamondbacks’ righthander will have to settle for facing the Marlins on Monday evening, the first time he has pitched against them since they sent him to Arizona in exchange for infielder Jazz Chisholm.
The outing almost certainly means something more than a typical start to ultra-competitive Gallen, but he tried to downplay it during a conversation on Sunday.
“It’s like any other team,” Gallen said. “It’s another game of baseball. I’ll go out and pitch and do my job and keep us in the game as long as I can.”
He already has had a chance to face the first team that traded him, getting that opportunity in his first big league start. Gallen was part of the four-player package the Cardinals sent to the Marlins in exchange for outfielder Marcell Ozuna in December 2017. He made his major league debut on June 20, 2019, facing the Cardinals in St. Louis.
“It was kind of funny: I always thought I’d get to Busch Stadium wearing a Cardinals jersey, but I was wearing the road jersey instead,” Gallen said. “It’s fine, I still made it here, made my debut here. It’s cool to come back here and think about that day.”
A month later, Gallen was traded to the Diamondbacks on the day of the trade deadline in 2019. Gallen smiled when he was reminded that in the past he has admitted to using trades as motivation. He was asked if that were still the case, either with trades or the fact that he lasted until the third round of the draft.
“There’s definitely days,” he said. “You’ve got to use it like gas. If you use too much of it then you can kind of light yourself on fire. Or if you use too much of it you can run out of it and you’ve got to find more.”
He said there are times, like when he doesn’t feel like working out in the offseason or is tired the day after a start, when he will dip into those reserves.
“You’ve got to recall on those things to maybe give you that extra little motivation to get up and do what you’ve got to do that day,” Gallen said. “I always have that stuff in the back of my mind. I think everybody in this room is like that. If you’re a competitor you always feel like you’ve been slighted at some point in your career. Some people probably hold onto more things than others. I don’t tend to forget a lot of things.”
This week also will be the first time Chisholm has faced the Diamondbacks.
Rojas update
Manager Torey Lovullo said infielder Josh Rojas, who continues to work his way back from a right oblique strain, is likely to go on a short rehab assignment for Triple-A Reno, where he will play for “one or maybe two games.”
That would likely rule out Rojas for the club’s upcoming series in Miami but could put him on track to be reinstated from the injured list this weekend when the team returns to Chase Field for a series against the Colorado Rockies.
Lovullo said Rojas played seven innings on Saturday in an extended spring training game at Salt River Fields, getting seven at-bats. He played shortstop on Saturday, though Lovullo said that was mostly to be sure Rojas is comfortable moving around the diamond late in games.
“He’s going to see most of his innings at third,” Lovullo said.
Short hops
Right-hander J.B. Wendelken, who is on the COVID-19 injured list, is expected to remain in St. Louis, Lovullo said, presumably until he tests negative. Lovullo said he was not sure what the plan was for closer Mark Melancon, who also is on the COVID list.
*The Diamondbacks designated infielder Matt Davidson for assignment after Sunday’s game, presumably making him one of two players trimmed as rosters shrink from 28 to 26 on Monday. The Diamondbacks will have 10 days to place him on waivers, trade him or release him. If he were to clear waivers, Davidson is expected to refuse an assignment to Triple-A Reno and elect free agency instead. In limited action, Davidson went 1 for 10 with a home run and three walks.