Diamondbacks designate Anthony Swarzak for assignment after ERA balloons to 9.64

The Diamondbacks announced on Sunday morning they’ve designated reliever Anthony Swarzak for assignment. Right-hander J.B. Bukauskas has been recalled from the alternate training site, while outfielder Tim Locastro was placed on the 10-day injured list.

Selected to the D'backs’ roster a week-and-a-half ago, Swarzak went on to log 4.2 relief innings across six appearances for Arizona. The veteran righty allowed five runs on seven hits, struck out four and issued a walk to the tune of a 9.64 ERA. That marked his first MLB action since 2019, when he pitched to a 4.56 ERA/4.65 SIERA over 53.1 frames.

He’ll be replaced on the active roster by Bukauskas, a former first-round pick now slated to make his major league debut. The 24-year-old was drafted 15th overall by the Astros in 2017 coming out of the University of North Carolina. He wound up dealt to Arizona as part of the four-player return for Zack Greinke at the 2019 trade deadline. Baseball America placed Bukauskas 26th in the Arizona system entering the year, lauding his three-pitch mix but noting that he’s often plagued by below-average control.

Locastro dislocated his finger attempting to steal a base on Saturday and was known to be headed to the injured list. The recently acquired Nick Heath is getting the nod in center this afternoon against Nationals righty Paolo Espino.