D-backs get INF Rivera from Royals for Weaver on busy day

CLEVELAND -- A lot happened on the field during the D-backs’ 6-5, 11-inning loss to the Guardians on Monday night at Progressive Field, but with less than 24 hours until the Trade Deadline, there was a lot happening off of it as well involving Arizona.

There were new faces in the clubhouse pregame -- Seth Beer and Kevin Ginkel joined the team from Triple-A Reno, while lefty Tommy Henry came up to be added to the taxi squad and right-hander Corbin Martin was sent to Reno -- and it was learned that lefty Caleb Smith fractured his right hand in frustration following his Saturday outing.

And then right around first pitch the D-backs swung a trade, sending right-hander Luke Weaver to the Royals in exchange for infielder Emmanuel Rivera.

It was a lot to keep track of, so here are some takeaways:

Rivera fills a couple of needs for the D-backs
D-backs GM Mike Hazen told reporters recently that he was looking to add a right-handed bat to the infield.

Enter Rivera, who has played both third base and first base for the Royals this year while hitting .237/.284/.399 in 211 plate appearances.

The 26-year-old was originally selected by the Royals in the 19th round of the 2015 MLB Draft and made his big league debut for them last season.

"We talked about getting a little bit more right-handed now and into the future," Hazen said. "Rivera is a guy we've liked for a while -- just his ability to hit left-handed pitching and play third base."

Had they not traded Weaver, who lost his spot in the starting rotation this year, they would have faced a difficult decision as to whether to tender him a contract as a salary-arbitration player this winter.

Henry will be getting his chance sooner than later
Technically Henry was just added to the taxi squad, but it's worth noting that around the same time Henry got to Cleveland, the team switched its scheduled starter for Wednesday's game from Madison Bumgarner to "TBA".

That means that Henry -- ranked by MLB Pipeline as the D-backs' No. 13 prospect -- will likely make his big league debut Wednesday, as he would be pitching on the fifth day after his last Triple-A start.

More work for Martin
Martin's demotion after getting starts in two consecutive turns through the rotation was a clear sign that the team still needs to see some improvement from him before it gives him a longer leash in the rotation.

"We just felt like the secondary stuff wasn't landing to the degree it needs to land," Hazen said. "And we need to work on that. And we need to improve it."

The Deadline was a reason Zach Davies pitched Monday
Davies had been on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation since June 26 and had thrown a simulated game at the team's Salt River Fields complex. Instead of having him go out on a rehab assignment to build up more from his two-inning, 40-pitch outing, he was activated and started Monday.

Signed after Spring Training was underway to a one-year deal with a mutual option for next year, Davies is the kind of pitcher that gets flipped at the Trade Deadline. The D-backs likely wanted to show a team (or teams) that he was healthy enough for them to trade for before Tuesday's Deadline.

"I don't know," Davies said when asked if he thought the Trade Deadline played a role. "For me, I'm just playing. If that's the decision that was made, then you know, that is what it is. I was healthy. I was ready to be off of the IL."