Diamondbacks Option Drey Jameson to Triple-A Reno Ahead of Season

The Arizona Diamondbacks optioned right-handed pitcher Drey Jameson to Triple-A Reno on March 15, also reassigning right-handed reliever John Curtiss and infielder Luken Baker to minor league camp as the club trimmed its roster to 37 players with 11 days remaining until Opening Day.

Jameson, 28, carried the raw material to compete for a bullpen spot: his sinker has hovered in the mid-96 MPH range and he has posted a 2.65 ERA across 68 innings over three seasons with the Diamondbacks. But a difficult spring erased any realistic path to an Opening Day roster spot. In five Cactus League appearances in 2026, he allowed six runs, five earned, in just 5.1 innings, suffering from loud contact throughout. His most recent outing was particularly rough: 1.2 innings pitched, three walks, two hits, and three runs allowed. Pitches were too frequently either noncompetitive or left in the heart of the zone, and the command issues that plagued him all spring were not resolved before roster decisions hardened.

The assignment to the Reno Aces serves a clear organizational purpose. Jameson missed significant development time when 2025 became his first season back from Tommy John surgery, and he was unable to carry a full workload that year. Sending him to the Pacific Coast League will allow him to ramp up innings in a lower-stakes environment before any potential recall.

Curtiss and Baker were not optioned but rather reassigned, meaning all three players remain eligible to appear in Cactus League games. Baker, who can play first base or elsewhere in the infield, had actually been one of the spring's quiet bright spots before the move. The veteran, who has spent nine years between the minors and majors with three stints and 73 games in the major leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals, hit .273 with a .961 OPS in 13 spring training games after the Diamondbacks signed him to a minor league deal in January. The reassignment came a week after Arizona had already optioned five players to the Reno Aces, reflecting a steady, deliberate approach to paring the roster as Opening Day approaches.

Jameson's path back to the majors remains open. His velocity is legitimate and his track record in Arizona is not without merit, but the command he needs to be effective in a high-leverage role simply was not present this spring.