Saalfrank returns to D-backs after suspension: 'Super blessed for the opportunity' 

SAN DIEGO -- Andrew Saalfrank will never forget the phone call he got on Opening Day of the Triple-A season last year. His agent wanted him to know that Major League Baseball had opened an investigation into him for betting on MLB games.

"It was a pretty crushing phone call,” Saalfrank said.

And it was a challenging few months after that, as he tried to focus on pitching before the investigation concluded and resulted in a yearlong suspension.

Saalfrank was reinstated by baseball on June 5 and with the Diamondbacks pitching staff beset by injuries, he had his contract selected from Triple-A Reno before Wednesday's 8-2 win in San Diego.

It was the end of one journey for Saalfrank -- and the beginning of what he hopes is a long-term stint in the big leagues.

“It was a long time coming, and I think the last year, you kind of envisioned it a certain way,” Saalfrank said. “So just getting back here and seeing the guys and seeing the familiar faces and being back where you want to be, I think, is a really fulfilling feeling, given kind of all the hard work put in the last year. Just super blessed for the opportunity.”

Saalfrank’s punishment was the result of placing $445.87 worth of bets on 28 MLB games and one college baseball parlay between Sept. 9, 2021, and March 9, 2022. None of the games he bet on involved a team he was playing for.

When the suspension was announced, Saalfrank made a series of phone calls to Diamondbacks officials to apologize and take accountability for his actions. One of the hardest calls was to Arizona manager Torey Lovullo, and as a result he put it off until the end.

“It was probably, like, four or five days in and I knew he was making phone calls to everybody,” Lovullo recalled. “I'm like, ‘Where’s my phone call?’”

When he called, Saalfrank explained to Lovullo how much he dreaded having to tell him.

“I just aligned with him and thanked him for expressing himself the way he did, and [told him] we weren't going to change how we felt about him,” Lovullo said. “He felt like he was going to be left outside, and nobody was going to care about him. And I told him quickly, that's not going to be the case.”

Lovullo said he did his best to stay connected with Saalfrank during his absence, the first few months of which were the hardest for him as he dealt with knowing he still had months and months to go before he could play again.

Saalfrank made his big league debut in September of 2023 and his performance that month helped the Diamondbacks make the postseason and advance to the World Series. Following the year, he bought a home in the Phoenix area and that’s where he spent much of his time aside from some trips back home to his hometown of Fort Wayne, Ind.

Saalfrank continued to throw and work out during his suspension, but he also tried to use the time to work on improving himself.

"Just tried to make the most of it and turn it into a positive more than a negative,” Saalfrank said. “[I worked on] myself as a person, as a baseball player, as a son, as a boyfriend, there's so many different facets that I had time to spend on that as a baseball player you normally don't have. I'd obviously rather have been playing, but still trying to make the most of the time I had.”

Saalfrank was allowed to work out at the team’s Spring Training facility for 30 days prior to being reinstated and then made two appearances in the Arizona Complex League before joining Reno.

In 10 games with Reno, he had a 7.15 ERA with 10 walks and 14 strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings. HIs arrival gives Arizona three lefties in the bullpen, along with Jalen Beeks and Kyle Backhus.