Diamondbacks release injury-prone pitcher Jon Duplantier

The Diamondbacks released oft-injured former top prospect Jon Duplantier on Tuesday in what was a sort of procedural transaction that they hope leads to him signing back with the club on a minor league deal, according to a source.

While pitching for Triple-A Reno, Duplantier suffered a severe lat strain earlier this month that likely will sideline him for the remainder of the season. The team wanted to make use of his 40-man spot and thus released him.

If Duplantier were healthy, the club could have designated him, placed him on waivers and, assuming he cleared, outrighted him off the 40. But because injured players cannot be outrighted, the club went a different route to free up the roster spot.

If Duplantier clears release waivers — a claiming team would have to add him to its 40-man roster — the Diamondbacks likely will attempt to sign him back.

After the 2017 season, Duplantier was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 1 prospect in the organization. He pitched to a 1.39 ERA in 136 innings between Low-A and High-A in 2017, utilizing a four-pitch mix that included a fastball that sat in the 92-93 mph range and occasionally hit 96-97 mph.

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But Duplantier has struggled to pitch with that caliber of stuff consistently in the ensuing years — and he has had trouble staying healthy, something that has dogged him since his days at Rice University.

Duplantier spent time on the injured list in 2018 with right biceps tendinitis. He missed all of 2020 with a right forearm strain. He missed time this year after cutting his right index finger in an accident at home and was out again with a strained right middle finger. The lat strain occurred three weeks ago.

Duplantier logged big league time in 2019, bouncing between not just the majors and minors but also the rotation and bullpen, a challenging scenario the club said it hoped to avoid in the future. He worked exclusively as a starter with the Diamondbacks earlier this season but did not fare well, giving up 19 runs in 13 innings.

Carson close

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo did not rule out the possibility that catcher Carson Kelly could return from the injured list in time for the start of the homestand that begins on Friday night vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Kelly caught nine innings and went 2 for 4 for High-A Hillsboro on Tuesday night. He was scheduled to serve as the designated hitter for Hillsboro on Wednesday.

“We’re optimistic that it’s going to happen as soon as possible,” Lovullo said of Kelly’s return.

Kelly hasn’t played since fracturing his right wrist on a hit by pitch on June 19 vs. the Dodgers.

Short hops

Center fielder Ketel Marte played five innings and had three plate appearances on Tuesday in the Arizona Complex League, and Lovullo said he will now shift his rehab assignment to Triple-A Reno.

*Right-hander Taylor Clarke is scheduled to make a rehab appearance for Reno on Friday, Lovullo said.

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Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or nick.piecoro@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.