Josh

Whitesell

The story was passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. Whitesell, 29, spent the previous two seasons with the Yakult Swallows, batting .274 with 27 homers and 86 RBI over 180 games. He batted .200 with two homers and 15 RBI in 53 games with the Diamondbacks from 2008-2009.

Whitesell, 23, is batting .290/.408/.500 in 105 games for Single-A Potomac. The 2003 sixth-round pick might top out as a Triple-A player, but he does have some potential.

Whitesell started four straight games after being recalled on May 10, but managed just one hit and will leave the big league level with a .115/.258/.154 batting line.

Whitesell has hit .356 with three homers, 20 RBI and a 1.028 OPS in 87 at-bats for Triple-A Reno. There’s no guarantee he’ll get enough at-bats to make an impact, but with the D’Backs averaging just 3.7 runs per game and starting first baseman Chad Tracy hitting just .224, Whitesell is worth watching in NL-only leagues.

Whitesell hit .356 with three home runs, 20 RBI and a 1.028 OPS in 87 at-bats for Reno. He might not get the chance to prove himself at the major league level, however. Chad Tracy, who’s hitting just .224, will continue to receive most of the starts at first base.

Whitesell took the place of the injured Chad Tracy. He’ll get a smattering of at-bats over the next week as Tony Clark won’t return until June 9 at the earliest.

Whitesell was with the Diamondbacks between May 10-19. He posted a .115/.258/.154 batting line in that time, going 3-for-26 with five walks. Whitesell replaces the injured Chad Tracy on the roster. He should see some at-bats because Tony Clark won’t be ready to return until at least June 9.

With Chad Tracy now healthy and beginning to hit again, playing time may be at a premium for Whitesell. He shouldn’t be on fantasy rosters anyway after posting a .214 batting average and .321 slugging percentage in 56 at-bats during two previous stints with the D’Backs.

Mark Reynolds, who has been there this week, will slide back to third. Arizona will have quite a logjam coming as Chad Tracy (oblique) and Tony Clark (hand) are expected to be available again soon.

With Tony Clark returning from the disabled list, someone had to go down. Whitesell was batting just .214 through 56 at-bats with the Dodgers.