Top prospect Jordan Lawlar among Diamondbacks' latest roster cuts

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The Diamondbacks made a series of roster moves on Wednesday morning to bring the composition of their Opening Day roster into slightly sharper focus.

The club optioned left-hander Kyle Nelson, right-hander Drey Jameson and infielder Jordan Lawlar to Triple-A Reno and reassigned reliever Scott McGough and first baseman Trey Mancini to minor league camp.

Lawlar, the club’s top prospect, is the most high-profile of the names, but the decision to send him down did not come as a surprise. With Lawlar coming off a season mostly lost due to injury, the organization wanted him to play every day and log at-bats, something he was not going to be able to do in the majors.

Perhaps the most telling of the moves was the decision to send down Jameson, who from a results perspective had been one of the more effective pitchers in camp, giving up just one run in 5⅔ innings.

The Diamondbacks likely will explain the move as being a safeguard against his health. Jameson is coming off Tommy John surgery and the club wants to be sure he is not put in a position that compromises the stability of his arm. Pitching in a bullpen role, in which he could be called upon to pitch on less than optimal rest, could fly in the face of that desire.

The Jameson decision might also hint at the club’s thinking with its starting rotation. With Jameson no longer in the mix, it could be easier for the club to fit one or perhaps two starters in a relief role to open the season.

The team has seven starters competing for five rotation spots, meaning that two from among Brandon Pfaadt, Jordan Montgomery and Ryne Nelson are not likely to begin the season as starters.

The club appears to have three open bullpen spots with right-handers Bryce Jarvis and Shelby Miller as well as the starting pitchers all seemingly remaining in the competition.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Jordan Lawlar among Diamondbacks' latest roster cuts

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