The Diamondbacks placed Zack Littell on release waivers, according to the MLB.com transaction log. Assuming he goes unclaimed, he’ll be a free agent.
Arizona designated Littell for assignment on Sunday, ending his tenure with the club after three appearances. They’d signed the veteran righty as a long reliever after his release by Washington. Littell made a strong first impression, working 4 2/3 scoreless frames to finish a shutout win over Colorado. He was tattooed for 12 runs over 7 1/3 innings in his next two appearances.
Littell gave up five home runs in those final two outings. That’s the always present concern, as he surrendered 36 longballs last season and has given up 30 more this year. He has allowed the second-most homers in both seasons and is the overall leader dating back to 2025. Littell doesn’t put many runners on via the free pass, but he has below-average stuff and has recorded a modest 13.5% strikeout rate this season.
Arizona signed Littell to a big league contract when he hit the market on August 9. He might be looking at minor league offers this time around. The Nationals are paying the bulk of his $3MM salary and will be responsible for a $4MM option buyout at the end of the year. If another team is willing to carry Littell on the big league roster, they’d only pay him the prorated portion of the $780K league minimum.
