The Diamondbacks are swapping out a pair of relievers before today’s game. The team announced that right-hander Dennis Santana has been selected from Triple-A Reno. Left-hander Philip Abner has been designated for assignment in a corresponding move.
Santana joined Arizona on a minor league deal on August 6th. He had spent most of 2026 with the Pirates before they designated him for assignment in July and ultimately released him. In 41 2/3 innings for the Bucs, Santana had a 6.05 ERA and a 4.61 SIERA that hinted at some bad luck, but not enough to make him an effective pitcher under the surface. He excelled at generating ground balls from 2021-22, but he ran just a 29.6% ground ball rate this year, well below the 41.6% league average rate. Santana has also given up eight home runs after allowing only five in nearly 30 more innings in 2025.
It should be noted that Santana was an effective relief option for the Pirates from 2024-25. After struggling with the Yankees early in 2024, he came to Pittsburgh as a waiver claim that June and dominated the rest of the way. Over 44 1/3 innings in black and gold, Santana posted a stellar 2.44 ERA, along with a 22.7% K-BB rate that checked in well above league average. He followed that with a 2.18 ERA in 70 1/3 innings in 2025, maintaining an excellent 6.3% walk rate and generally keeping the ball in the park.
More to come.
