Diamondbacks Designate Ex-Red Sox Catcher Blake Swihart For Assignment

Blake Swihart’s rough 2019 season got even worse Monday.

The Arizona Diamondbacks designated the 27-year-old for assignment, likely ending the utilityman’s brief career in the desert. The D-Backs acquired Swihart in a trade with the Boston Red Sox in April.

The move was made to make room for infielder Josh Rojas on the 40-man roster. Rojas is listed as Arizona’s No. 29 prospect on MLB Pipeline.

Swihart’s season to forget began in spring training when his brother unexpectedly died. The former top prospect managed to break camp on the major league roster and began the season on fire, but soon began to struggle and ultimately was traded with Boston’s pitching staff performing under expectations.

Swihart briefly showed signs of life after joining the Diamondbacks, but never was given a defined role and struggled mightily before going on the 60-day injured list with an oblique strain. He was activated off the IL last Wednesday.

In 31 games for the Diamondbacks, Swihart hit just .136 with three homers and nine RBIs. He never appeared at catcher during his time in Arizona.