The Arizona Diamondbacks have signed free agent infielder Luis Guillorme to a major league contract, adding him to their active roster. This move was made to increase their infield depth following Ketel Marte’s placement on the injured list. Guillorme joined the team in Miami for their Tuesday night game against the Marlins.
As part of the corresponding roster moves, Blaze Alexander was optioned back to Triple-A Reno, and minor league reliever Gavin Hollowell was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.
Guillorme, a 30-year-old left-handed utility infielder, primarily plays second base but can also cover third base and shortstop. Over his career, he has posted a .254/.336/.327 batting line with an OPS+ of 88. Originally from Venezuela, Guillorme moved to the United States with his family at age 13. He was drafted by the New York Mets in the 10th round of the 2013 draft and made his MLB debut in 2018, spending six seasons with the Mets.
After signing with the Atlanta Braves as a free agent in January, Guillorme was traded to the Los Angeles Angels in May but was released by the Angels on August 18th.
Guillorme has notable platoon splits, performing better against right-handed pitchers with a .265/.348/.346 batting line compared to .218/.293/.261 against left-handers. Due to this, he is likely to be used against right-handed starters in place of Kevin Newman. However, Guillorme is not known for his power, having only five home runs in 961 career plate appearances.
Defensively, Guillorme is rated as above average at second base (+5) by Baseball-Reference, but below average at third base (-3) and shortstop (-1).
This signing may indicate that the Diamondbacks are more concerned about Marte’s ankle injury than they have publicly stated. Marte was placed on the 10-day injured list and returned to Phoenix for further evaluation.
The move also suggests the team lacks confidence in Blaze Alexander’s ability to hit right-handed pitching at the major league level. Alexander has struggled against right-handers, hitting just .207/.277/.261 in 101 plate appearances, although he has fared better against left-handers with a .297/.374/.446 line in 84 plate appearances. However, most of his success against lefties came during a hot April, and he has since slumped, leading to his demotion to Triple-A.
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