In what their manager called "a brutal decision," the Arizona Diamondbacks designated veteran right-handed reliever Paul Sewald for assignment after his recent funk on Monday.
Sewald has 24 saves but was recently demoted from the closer's role after failing to convert an opportunity against the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 28. It was his third blown save of the season and second in his last three chances.
Sewald, 36, had a solid 3.18 ERA on June 19 before falling on hard times. He has since allowed 17
earned runs over 10 2/3 innings of relief and has served up seven homers.
Overall, Sewald is 2-5 with a 6.23 ERA in 45 appearances this season.
"The reasons that were stated in my office yesterday were things such as, ‘The role that you're currently in is not gonna be an area of your strength. It's not something that you've done a lot. You're usually a very back-end guy. We're going in another direction,'" manager Torrey Lovullo told reporters Monday.
.".. He understood that. I think it was painful for him. We said our goodbyes, but more like, ‘We'll see you later.' That's the mindset."
Sewald's save total is the second-highest of his career. He had 34 in 2023 while splitting time with the Seattle Mariners (21) and Arizona (13), joining the D-backs ahead of their run to the World Series against Texas.
Overall, Sewald is 23-31 with 110 saves and a 4.30 ERA in 426 career relief appearances with the New York Mets (2017-20), Mariners (2021-23), Diamondbacks (2023-24, 2026), Cleveland Guardians (2025) and Detroit Tigers (2025).
"First of all, it was a brutal decision. He's meant so much to this organization," Lovullo said. "He's closed out 24 games. He solidified things for our ‘23 run, he had a number of saves in ‘24 before he got banged up. And you learn to appreciate the human being at a certain point ... He's a friend of all of us, like he's just a good person."
Moving Sewald opens a roster spot for right-hander Zack Littell, whom the Diamondbacks reportedly agreed to terms with on Sunday. Littell was released by the Washington Nationals on Friday.
Littell, 30, was 7-8 with a 4.97 ERA in 23 appearances (14 starts) for the Nationals. He has served up 25 homers, tied for fifth-most in the majors.
But Lovullo said Littell will offer more length than Sewald in a relief role.
Over nine seasons, Littell is 41-37 with three saves and a 4.05 ERA in 257 appearances (93 starts) with six teams. He made 65 of his starts for the Tampa Bay Rays between 2023-25.
Also on Monday, the Diamondbacks reinstated right-hander Michael Soroka from the 15-day injured list and optioned right-hander Kade Strowd to Triple-A Reno.
Soroka, 29, last appeared on June 19 and was 8-3 with a 3.07 ERA in 15 starts in his first season for Arizona.
Strowd, 28, has made one appearance for the D-backs, allowing one run with three walks in one inning of relief back on June 5.
--Field Level Media
