Diamondbacks Pitcher Elects Free Agency After Brutal Start to Season

April 07, 2026 , , ,
Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Joe Ross pitches during 2026 game.

It was a brief and ugly tenure in the desert. 

Joe Ross elected free agency after clearing waivers following his designation for assignment by the Arizona Diamondbacks, ending a stay that lasted exactly three appearances and produced a 19.64 ERA. 

Manager Torey Lovullo told Ross when he designated him that he hoped he'd come back if he cleared waivers. Ross apparently decided to look elsewhere. 

The 32-year-old signed with Arizona on a minor league deal in February, impressed enough in spring training, despite a 7.71 ERA, with his ability to throw high volumes of pitches over multiple innings to earn a long relief spot on the Opening Day roster, and then watched the whole thing fall apart within the first week of the season.

What Went Wrong for Joe Ross in Arizona

On March 30 against the Detroit Tigers, Ross gave up six runs while recording just two outs, turning an 8-0 blowout into a suddenly uncomfortable 8-6 game.

Two days later, against the Atlanta Braves, he allowed two runs on two hits and three walks, part of what became a brutal 17-2 loss for Arizona. 

The D-backs had seen enough. Taylor Rashi was called up from Triple-A Reno as his replacement, pitched a scoreless 10th inning on Sunday, and helped Arizona engineer a walk-off win over the Braves to salvage a series split. 

In total, Ross allowed eight earned runs on seven hits and four walks across three and two-thirds innings. His FIP of 8.88 was bad enough on its own. The 19.64 ERA made it worse. 

"I don't think we saw anything close to his best," Lovullo said at the time of the DFA. "He's going to get another opportunity to pitch in the big leagues. I hope it's with us." 

It won't be. 

Joe Ross's Recent Career

Ross has parts of nine big league seasons on his resume, but the last year-plus has been a grind. 

He posted a 5.12 ERA over 51 innings with the Philadelphia Phillies last season before being released in August, then finished the year in Triple-A with the Chicago Cubs. He came to Arizona on a minor league deal hoping to find a fit as a multi-inning reliever, made the roster, and couldn't hold it for more than a few days. 

Someone will take a flier on a minor league deal. Over his nine-year career, the 32-year-old holds a 4.37 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, with 510 strikeouts across 572 innings and 163 appearances (87 starts).

Photo Credit: Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images 

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