Diamondbacks Activate Moreno, Designate Herrera for Assignment

The Diamondbacks have activated starting catcher Gabriel Moreno from the 60-day injured list. With the need to make space on both the active and 40-man rosters, the team has designated catcher José Herrera for assignment.

The move doesn't come as too much of a surprise, since Moreno's return created a logjam at the position. The D-backs had to decide whether to bump off James McCann or Herrera from the roster. Adrian Del Castillo is a catcher by trade, but with options and the ability to serve as a left-handed DH, had more roster flexibility.

McCann signed with the D-backs in June, when Moreno was first placed on the IL at the conclusion of the Toronto series. Splitting time with Herrera, he's shown to be a capable hitter and defender. McCann slashed .247/.337/.403 with three home runs and a 108 wRC+. He's also thrown out five of 19 attempted stealers (26.5%).

With McCann vastly outplaying Herrera over the past two months, the decision became obvious who was going to be sent down.

Update (8/25): Per the D-backs transaction page, Herrera has cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A Reno.

Comparing the Track Record between McCann and Herrera

Obviously, McCann outplayed Herrera both on and behind the plate. Interestingly enough, they had polar opposite approaches at the plate. Herrera got the most plate appearances, 103 to 89, but produced just a .202/.286/.274 slash since June 19th. That's right in line with his career norms, with a 58 wRC+ at the plate. A 58 wRC+ simply isn't going to beat out 108 when the sample size they have to evaluate is roughly the same.

Looking beyond just the surface stats, the expected stats favor McCann even further.

• McCann (2025): .238 xBA, .373 xSLG, .316 xwOBA
• Herrera (Since June 19th): .189 xBA, .250 xSLG, .250 xwOBA

The purpose of including the expected stats is that it's a similar model to the proprietary metrics the organization uses.

While Herrera has the edge in chase rate over McCann, 17.8% to 27.8%, the latter does a much better job of barreling up strikes. McCann has a hard-hit rate (batted balls with 95.0 MPH exit velocity or greater) of 50.9% and a barrel rate of 5.4%. That blows away Herrera's 26.4% and 1.3%.

While it has been proven that Herrera getting on base from the nine hole can lead to rallies, the reality is that most of the time, he's an easy out. McCann doesn't lack patience, as evidenced by a 9.6% walk rate, and can do more with the bat.

Throw in the fact that Herrera has been bad at throwing out basestealers (8 of 47, 17.0%), and his throws are almost consistently off-target, there's a clear edge.

What Happens to José Herrera?

Herrera is now in DFA limbo, which means the D-backs have seven days to trade, release, or attempt to outright him to the minors. The most likely situation is that the team will try to outright him to the minors and keep him as depth. If he clears outright waivers, he will have to accept an outright assignment.

If Herrera is outrighted to Reno, the question then shifts to what happens after the season. With three years of service time on his record, coupled with seven seasons spent in the minor leagues, I believe he is eligible to declare free agency once the season is over. He might have been a free agent anyway, since he was a non-tender candidate for November, since he was going to be arbitration-eligible for the first time in his career.

Herrera is a career .200 hitter with a .539 OPS at the plate. Combined with average defensive metrics, he projects more as a depth option. While he is excellent at forcing pitchers to throw strikes, the lack of impact with his bat severely handicaps his offensive ceiling. That will likely limit him to a minor league deal, with an invite to camp, should he choose free agency.

Arizona's Catching Situation in 2026

The D-backs will have Moreno and Del Castillo as the only catchers who are guaranteed to be on the 40-man roster after November. McCann is a free agent and Herrera's long-term situation is in doubt. It won't be clear until we get closer to spring if Herrera will be part of the organization's depth chart.

After committing to McCann the rest of the way, it makes a lot of sense for Arizona to try to re-sign him as their backup for 2026. That would give the club a veteran backup to pair with Moreno and a competent enough player to take over when the D-backs' starting catcher requires his yearly IL stint. Del Castillo could serve as the third catcher on the depth chart.

Prospect Christian Cerda is coming off a solid year at Double-A Amarillo. He's slashing .234/.338/.446 with a club-leading 18 home runs and a 104 wRC+. He profiles more as a take-and-rake type batter, relying on walks and power to carry his offensive value. He might not hit much in terms of batting average, but he is a competent enough hitter to be more than an easy out at the major league level due to elite strike zone discipline.

He's unlikely to factor into Opening Day roster decisions, but could be a candidate for a late-season promotion with a strong year in Triple-A Reno. The organization may take a risk in leaving him unprotected from the Rule 5 Draft and gamble that he can't stick with another club as the backup. That would allow them to save up an option year if the gamble works out. He would be protected from the minor league phase of the draft.