Diamondbacks designate lefty Dallas Keuchel for assignment

The Arizona Diamondbacks designated left-hander Dallas Keuchel for assignment, pulling the plug on a reclamation project after four mostly rough outings.

The move opens a spot in the starting rotation, an opportunity that likely will go to one of the club’s young starters in Triple-A. Right-hander Corbin Martin would appear to be the most likely candidate to get the nod.

Keuchel, 34, signed a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks in June, then made two starts in rookie ball before the club moved him into the rotation. The hope was that by reuniting with pitching coach Brent Strom, with whom he had success during their time together in Houston, he could rediscover the form he showed when he was one of the better starters in baseball, including when he won a Cy Young Award in 2015.

That did not happen. In four starts, Keuchel logged a 9.64 ERA with 27 hits and seven walks in 18 2/3 innings. He was hurt by his defense on multiple occasions, but he also allowed a significant amount of loud contact.

Keuchel showed no improvement from his time with the Chicago White Sox, who cut ties with him in May after he posted a 7.88 ERA in eight starts earlier this season.

As for Martin, who was the key piece of the trade that sent Zack Greinke to the Houston Astros three years ago, he has thrown well in back-to-back starts with Triple-A Reno, most recently firing eight shutout innings, with no walks and six strikeouts, in a start last week.

Martin has begun to better incorporate his curveball into his pitch mix, something the club wanted him to do the last time he was sent down.

Martin has a 5.10 ERA in 12 starts in Reno. He posted a 4.40 ERA in five relief appearances in the majors earlier this season.

Left-hander Tommy Henry figures to be another option to step into the rotation. Henry, a second-round pick out of Michigan in 2019, has posted a 3.55 ERA in 18 starts with Reno.

ESPN was first to report Keuchel had been designated.

Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or nick.piecoro@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Diamondbacks designate P Dallas Keuchel for assignment