Ryan

Thompson

The 32-year-old right-hander had been projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to earn $2.9 million via arbitration. Thompson was terrific out of the Diamondbacks’ bullpen in 2024, posting a 3.26 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and a 52/15 K/BB ratio across 66 1/3 innings in his 67 appearances. He’ll function in a middle relief role once again in 2025 and is highly unlikely to have any fantasy value outside of leagues that count holds.

Martinez got the call to protect a narrow one-run margin in the 10th inning after Ryan Thompson was saddled with a blown save the previous inning when he surrendered a game-tying sacrifice fly that sent the contest to extra innings. He intentionally walked José Ramírez to put runners on the corners before striking out Josh Naylor and David Fry to preserve the victory. The hard-throwing 23-year-old righty should continue to factor into Arizona’s closing mix alongside Thompson and newly-acquired A.J. Puk moving forward, which makes him an interesting addition in deeper mixed leagues where every potential save is extremely valuable.

Lovullo didn’t rule out the possibility of Sewald regaining the role eventually, but the Diamondbacks are going to turn to some of their alternatives moving forward. It was Ryan Thompson who was summoned to protect a two-run lead on Friday night in Pittsburgh, but we’re assuming Justin Martinez, Kevin Ginkel and newly-acquired A.J. Puk will be in the mix for save chances moving forward.

Diamondbacks’ manager Torey Lovullo publicly removed Paul Sewald from the closer role before this game without naming a replacement. Then, he went to AJ Puk, Dylan Floro, and Justin Martinez in high leverage situations before the ninth inning, leaving Thompson as the de facto closer. This looks like it will be a revolving door to see who gets save opportunities nightly.

The Diamondbacks had gone to Paul Sewald to close out the game with a three-run lead against the Nationals. He struggled to find the zone, walking three batters and allowing a run in before leaving with one out and the bases loaded. Thompson stepped in and struck out his first batter before a wild pitch made it a one-run game. He induced a groundout for the final out to secure the win and his first save of the season.

Thompson was a revelation for the World Series-bound Diamondbacks last year after being cut loose by the Rays, posting a nearly flawless 0.69 ERA, 0.54 WHIP and 9/1 K/BB ratio across 13 innings (13 appearances) to close out the 2023 campaign. The 31-year-old righty was arbitration-eligible this winter for the first time. He’ll be a free agent in 2027.

The Diamondbacks wanted to stay away from Paul Sewald on Sunday after his blown save on Saturday night, so it was Thompson who wound up getting the call in the ninth inning of this one. The 31-year-old hurler was up to the task — getting Elly De La Cruz on a ground ball to second before striking out Spencer Steer and getting Nick Senzel on a grounder to short to end it. For the season, Thompson sports 5.79 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and a 13/7 K/BB ratio over 18 2/3 innings between the Rays and Diamondbacks.

Thompson inked a minor league deal with Arizona on August 21 after he was jettisoned from the Rays roster earlier in the month. He posted a 6.11 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across 17 2/3 innings with Tampa Bay and should appear in low-leverage situations for the Diamondbacks going forward.

Thompson was released by the Rays last week after getting caught up in a roster crunch and quickly finds a new home out in Arizona. The 31-year-old righty is reportedly healthy after missing time due recently due to injury and could wind up making an impact at some point in the final few weeks of the regular season. He’s made 126 appearances in the big leagues over the last four seasons.

Thompson passed through waivers unclaimed on Thursday and the Rays had no choice other than to release him because he wasn’t activated from the 60-day injured list prior to being designated for assignment. Simply put, he was ineligible to be sent outright to the minors because he wasn’t on the club’s 40-man roster. The 31-year-old righty reliever is reportedly healthy and figures to attract some interest on the open market.