PHOENIX -- Don't be deceived by the 36.00 ERA. Greg Aquino's activation from the disabled list will be a huge boost to an Arizona bullpen that can use all the help it can get right now.
The hard-throwing righty pitched only one inning -- giving up four runs in the process -- before landing on the DL with a right elbow injury on April 5. Aquino had a successful rookie season in 2004, notching 16 saves for the Diamondbacks and was expected to fill the same role this year before the injury.
But Aquino won't be reassuming the closer's spot -- not immediately, anyway.
"I'm not going to throw him into the ninth inning right away," said manager Bob Melvin. "We're going to try to get him a so-called soft landing, but we don't play too many games where there's a whole lot of soft landings.
Right-hander Edgar Gonzalez, who was promoted to the Diamondbacks earlier in the week for Mike Koplove, was sent back down to Triple-A Tucson. Gonzalez only made one appearance while with the big club, a tough outing in which he gave up four runs in one-third of an inning to open the floodgates for an eight-run rally by Kansas City on Friday.
"He was here to be a long man, to hold the fort down until Aquino was ready," Melvin said. "We sent Koppy down to try to get him right and we knew that Aquino was just a few days away, so he was just here in the interim. And it was a reward for pitching well in the Minor Leagues."
To make room for Aquino on the 40-man roster, Arizona transferred Brandon Lyon to the 60-day DL. Lyon replaced Aquino as the closer and was leading the Majors with 13 saves before going down with an elbow injury himself. Lyon, who had been optimistic he could return by the All-Star break, now will not be eligible to return until July 12th. Lyon said he will begin light tossing during the team's upcoming 10-game road trip.
