Diamondbacks add prospect Kristian Robinson, two others to 40-man roster

The Diamondbacks announced Friday that they’ve selected the contracts of utilityman Cooper Hummel, outfielder Kristian Robinson and righty Ryan Weiss to the 40-man roster. In a trio of corresponding moves, the D-backs passed lefty Miguel Aguilar, righty Kevin Ginkel and right-hander Riley Smith through waivers and outrighted them to Triple-A Reno.

Hummel, 26, came over to Arizona from Milwaukee in this summer’s Eduardo Escobar trade and has done nothing but rake in his new organization. In 92 Triple-A games, split at 46 apiece between both teams, Hummel mashed to the tune of .311/.432/.546 with 12 home runs. Perhaps most impressively, Hummel managed that level of production while walking (63) more times than he struck out (61). The 18th-rounder has gradually started to cede at-bats behind the plate due to subpar receiving abilities, but after seeing action at both infield and outfield corners this past season, he should have plenty of avenues to crack the major-league roster soon.

Robinson’s selection to Arizona's roster has more to do with the 20-year-old’s top-prospect status than it does with any recent performance. Coming into the season, the young outfielder was ranked as high as the 15th-best prospect in the game by Baseball Prospectus, achieving that distinction without the benefit of a full season of A-level ball. Some legal issues and subsequent visa trouble prevented Robinson from playing at all in 2021, but Friday’s move indicates the Diamondbacks believe there is a chance he can return to his baseball career. Nevertheless, Zach Buchanan of the Athletic tweets that Robinson is headed back off the 40-man roster and onto the restricted list once again following the Rule 5 draft. Buchanan covers the saga surrounding the young Diamondbacks player in an article written for the Athletic (subscription required).

A fourth-rounder back in 2018, Weiss made his Double-A and Triple-A debuts this season. Over 78 innings between the two levels Weiss pitched to a 4.60 ERA, seeing action out of both the rotation and bullpen. The 24-year-old struck out roughly 27% of opposing batters but will need to tamp down on the number of baserunners he allowed in Triple-A before Arizona can count on him as a member of its pitching staff.

After a layoff in 2020, the left-handed Aguilar struggled in his first Triple-A and big-league look, posting ERAs north of 5 at both levels. Ginkel, a right-hander wasn’t able to replicate the success he found in Arizona’s 2019 pen, pitching to a 6.35 ERA in 28 innings. It was a similar story for the right-handed Smith, who spun 18+ innings of 1.47 ERA ball last season before struggling to the tune of a 6.01 ERA in 67 innings this year.