The Diamondbacks' latest bullpen experiment is already over. Arizona designated Zack Littell for assignment on August 23, opening a 40-man spot for Drey Jameson's reinstatement from the injured list.
Littell's stint in Arizona was short even by rental standards. He signed with the Diamondbacks a couple weeks ago after Washington released him, and the deal came cheap for Arizona since the Nationals were still on the hook for most of his guaranteed money. All the D-backs owed him was prorated league minimum, which made him a low-risk flier for the stretch run.
For a minute, it looked like a nice pickup. Littell tossed 4 2/3 scoreless innings on just 45 pitches in his Arizona debut on August 10, exactly the kind of long-relief stability a contending pen wants in August. Then the wheels came off fast — he got roughed up for 6 earned runs over 3 2/3 innings against Boston on August 17, then coughed up 4 more the very next day. Two outings, ten earned runs, and suddenly the DFA writing was on the wall.
Arizona didn't hesitate once Jameson was healthy enough to return, using the corresponding move to open the roster spot. In a related transaction, Michael Soroka landed on the 15-day IL with right shoulder inflammation, with Gerardo Carrillo getting the call-up to fill that gap.
Littell isn't out of options here, though. Because of his service time, he can reject an outright assignment to the minors and instead elect free agency while keeping his guaranteed money intact. That sets him up to latch on with another club looking for pitching depth for the final month-plus of the season, likely without missing much of a beat.
It's a strange little detour for a guy who's bounced around plenty already this year — released by the Nationals, scooped up by Arizona, and now searching for his third stop before September. Whichever team grabs him next is betting the August 10 version shows up more often than the one from that Boston series.