Diamondbacks Release World Series-Winning Pitcher
The Diamondbacks released the 32-year-old right-hander from his Triple-A assignment with the Reno Aces.
Ross posted a 4.29 ERA with a 12-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 21 Triple-A innings after being sent down.
Joe Ross Heads to the Open Market
The big league numbers that preceded the Reno assignment were the reason he never truly had a chance to stick.
Ross broke camp with Arizona after signing a minor league deal in February, surprised the organization by earning an Opening Day roster spot with his spring performance, and then allowed eight runs on seven hits and four walks in just 3.2 big league innings across three appearances.
He was designated for assignment on April 3.
He cleared waivers, elected free agency rather than accept an outright assignment, and then turned around and re-signed with the Diamondbacks on a new minor league deal days later.
The #Dbacks have released Joe Ross
— Diamondbacks Prospects 🐍 (@dbacksprospectz) May 19, 2026
Manager Torey Lovullo was supportive throughout.
"As I told him, I don't think we saw anything close to his best and he's going to get another opportunity to pitch in the big leagues," Lovullo said after the original DFA. "I hope it's with us."
It was not.
Ross holds a career 4.37 ERA across 163 appearances and 87 starts with Washington, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and now briefly Arizona, with a World Series championship ring from the 2019 Nationals and two separate Tommy John surgeries on his resume.
He first underwent Tommy John in 2020 and again in 2022, missing two full seasons before returning in 2024.
He had 51 workable innings with the Phillies in 2025 before a release and an offseason that led him to Arizona. His 12-to-5 ratio in Reno suggests the arm still works when he is right.
Whether any organization gives him the chance to prove it in 2026 is the question that we'll see get answered in the coming days.
Photo Credit: Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
