Demotions can sting. McCarthy knows first-hand -- and has learned from them

PHOENIX -- Sending a player down to the Minor Leagues is never an easy task for Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo. Some “send downs” are tougher than others, and some of the conversations go better than others.

After falling to the Cubs on April 19, Lovullo called outfielder Jake McCarthy into the visiting manager’s office at Wrigley Field to let him know he was being sent to Triple-A Reno.

• Box score: D-backs 8, Giants 2

It had been a tough start to the season for McCarthy, who was hitless in his first 24 at-bats and was at the time 3-for-41 (.073).

The ensuing conversation was not pleasant for Lovullo or McCarthy.

Lovullo was frustrated because he didn’t expect to be delivering this news. It wasn’t the first time the two had been in this position. McCarthy had been optioned twice during the 2023 season, and during one of those conversations, McCarthy told Lovullo that he was making a mistake.

Lovullo welcomed McCarthy’s confidence at the time, and eventually McCarthy was back in the big leagues and helping Arizona make the postseason.

After spending the full 2024 season in the big leagues, McCarthy thought his Minor League days were behind him, and the organization did as well.

“Jake is always tough to send down,” Lovullo said. “I get attached to players, right? I like players that play hard, I like players that have done it at a high level, and it was just kind of this unknown as to how we all got to this place with him, and it was frustrating for me.”

As Lovullo began to deliver the news, he could tell McCarthy was frustrated.

“I could see that in his face,” Lovullo said. “And, you know, normally I want to shake hands with you and wish you luck and embrace or whatever, and he was uncomfortable. He wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. So that wasn't a very typical interaction. I yanked him back to me and said, ‘Hey, man, good luck, you're going to figure this out, and we're going to get you back here as soon as possible.’

“So it was awkward and unusual and different, because we felt like he was beyond [being sent down], and I do still feel like he's beyond that, so it was a little hard for me to express that to him, and he received it just probably at a [later] time.”

McCarthy had been down this road before and of course never enjoyed being demoted, but this one stung more than the others. He packed up his stuff and headed for Triple-A Reno. He knew what he had to do, and spending time being angry wasn’t going to help.

“Complaining and moaning and feeling bad for yourself doesn't really get you anywhere,” McCarthy said. “And you know, regardless of how you feel about it, it's irrelevant. You just want to work to get back to here.”

McCarthy said there weren’t any specific adjustments he made during his time in Reno, though he’s constantly tinkering with things to try and get better.

The results he had there were impressive, as he slashed .314/.401/.440 in 49 games. But despite the success, it wasn’t an enjoyable experience for him.

“It's no fun going down,” McCarthy said. “I hate playing Minor League Baseball. but you just have to keep going. And I have really good people around me -- family and friends -- and I'm built for this [stuff], and I will not back down from the challenges thrown at me during my career.”