Ryne Nelson, Kyle Lewis win D-Backs jobs; Drey Jameson heads to bullpen

Right-hander Ryne Nelson will be the fifth starter and outfielder Kyle Lewis claimed a roster spot as two of the Diamondbacks’ more prominent roster questions were answered on Sunday morning.

Nelson, 25, beat out a trio of young starters to win the job, doing so in a spring in which he pitched better as camp progressed. In the end, the decision came down to him or right-hander Drey Jameson, who instead will head to the bullpen.

“He pitched very well for us last year, number one,” General Manager Mike Hazen said. “So when the games mattered and they were real, he did a really good job. … We thought he has gotten better as we moved through the spring. Early it was a little rocky, but we felt like he kept making improvements and this is going to be his opportunity and hopefully he runs with it.”

Nelson had a 1.47 ERA in three starts in the majors last season. He logged a 7.53 ERA in 14⅓ innings in the Cactus League, but he posted far better results (five runs in 11⅔ innings with four walks and 11 strikeouts) in his final three outings.

The Diamondbacks still view Jameson as a starter long term but also see him as one of their 13 best pitchers. The club will try to keep him stretched out early in the season, maintaining him as potential rotation depth should the need arise, and will routinely revisit his status as the season progresses.

Lewis, acquired from the Seattle Mariners in November, put together a monster spring to win a roster spot. He entered Sunday hitting .480 (12 for 25) with three doubles, three homers and five walks. He put together tough at-bats and made consistent hard contact.

Lewis beat out first baseman/outfielder Pavin Smith for a job. Smith swung the bat well, too, going 9 for 27 (.333) with a homer. Smith provides more defensive value and versatility.

“He had an incredible spring,” Hazen said. “The presence in the lineup, his right-handed bat, where it fits where we’re going -- I think we’re going to get a lot of lefties out of the chute with the way the rotation are lining up against us. I think that power element is something that we talked about not necessarily having. He can represent that for us in a lot of ways.”

The Diamondbacks still have two decisions left to be made -- the final bullpen spot and the backup catcher. They have two relievers still left in camp — right-handers Ryan Hendrix and Carlos Vargas — and just one catcher, Jose Herrera, but Hazen said there are still “balls in the air” in terms of possible external additions. As such, the club is waiting to see how that shakes out before informing players of final decisions.

Roster rundown

Here is how the Diamondbacks’ roster looks at the moment, with two jobs (backup catcher, final bullpen spot) still yet to be determined.

Catcher: Gabriel Moreno.

First base: Christian Walker.

Second base: Ketel Marte.

Third base: Josh Rojas, Evan Longoria.

Shortstop: Nick Ahmed, Geraldo Perdomo.

Outfield: Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas, Jake McCarthy, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Kyle Lewis.

Rotation: Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Madison Bumgarner, Zach Davies, Ryne Nelson.

Bullpen: Scott McGough, Miguel Castro, Andrew Chafin, Kevin Ginkel, Joe Mantiply, Cole Sulser, Drey Jameson.

Short hops

The Diamondbacks optioned Smith and infielder Emmanuel Rivera to Triple-A Reno and reassigned infielders Phillip Evans and Jake Hager, right-hander Peter Solomon and catcher P.J. Higgins to minor league camp.

*Davies, the No. 4 starter, will pitch in a minor league game on Monday afternoon. Nelson will throw on Tuesday against the Guardians at Chase Field in the final exhibition of the spring.

Diamondbacks 4, Brewers 4 (nine innings)

At American Family Fields of Phoenix

At the plate: DH Jake McCarthy had two hits, both doubles. He drove in a run and scored one. After going 11 days between Cactus League games as he was battling an illness, McCarthy has started to swing the bat better in recent days. “He had a big base hit (on Saturday),” manager Torey Lovullo said. “His timing is coming back. I know that he had been a little fatigued from being ill. But he’s in a good spot. Quality at-bats.” 2B Ketel Marte went hitless in four at-bats for the second day in a row.

On the mound: RHP Merrill Kelly gave up two runs in 4 2/3 innings, building his pitch count to 60 in his final outing of the spring. “I think obviously going into Friday it’s probably going to be on a little bit shorter leash than a normal first game would be,” Kelly said. “I think that’s just kind of the nature of the beast of pitching in the (World Baseball Classic) and not getting the innings that we normally would. But as far as body wise, arm wise, I’m ready to go.” Kelly is slated to start on Friday at Dodger Stadium in the second game of the season.

Extra bases: SS Nick Ahmed took a feed from 2B Ketel Marte and made an acrobat, off-balance throw to first to complete a double play to end the fourth inning. Kelly picked off 3B Luis Urias after Urias singled to center in the second inning. RF Corbin Carroll and McCarthy each took extra bases and scored during a sequence in the fifth inning, taking advantage of a wild pitch and a throwing error by the Brewers.

Monday’s game: Diamondbacks LHP Madison Bumgarner vs. Guardians RHP Aaron Civale, 6:40 p.m., Chase Field.

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

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Ryne Nelson, Kyle Lewis win Dbacks jobs; Drey Jameson heads to pen