LuJames Groover Selected as Diamondbacks Move José Fernández — Nationals - Dbacks
The Diamondbacks changed their roster and the move hit two players at once: LuJames Groover had his contract selected, and José Fernández was optioned to Triple-A Reno. The transaction also opened a 40-man spot when Taylor Rashi was designated for assignment.
Groover Joins Arizona
Groover, 24, reaches the majors after a strong run in Triple-A this year. He has a.322/.421/.452 line with three home runs and a 116 wRC+, production that pushed him into the conversation for a bigger role as Arizona sorts through its infield and first-base at-bats.
The second-round pick in the 2023 draft has steadily worked his way up. Last year he missed time with a broken wrist, played in 61 games, and still logged 123 Double-A games overall across 547 plate appearances, posting a.309/.399/.434 line with 12 home runs, an 11.5% walk rate and a 14.4% strikeout rate.
Fernández Moves To Reno
Fernández heads back to Reno after a mixed stretch in Arizona. He hit.342/.359/.500 over his first 78 plate appearances this year, then dropped to.180/.232/.225 in his last 99 plate appearances.
Arizona had leaned on him and Ildemaro Vargas at first base while Pavin Smith was out, and Adrian Del Castillo also picked up designated hitter time in that span. Smith has recently come off the injured list and should be getting regular playing time, which leaves fewer at-bats to spread around.
Rashi Loses His Spot
Rashi was the roster casualty tied to the opening move. He signed a minor league deal in the offseason, joined the roster in early April, and was then optioned after allowing four earned runs in 3 2/3 innings.
His major league line sits at 20 big league innings with a 5.40 ERA, a 29.9% strikeout rate, a 10.3% walk rate and a 44.2% ground ball rate. Since the start of 2025, he has thrown 67 1/3 Triple-A innings with a 3.48 ERA, so the organization kept a pitcher with some recent upper-minors success in reserve while adding a bat to the active group.
Groover arrives as a corner infielder with some limited second base experience, and Arizona’s current setup points him toward the spots where Smith’s return created the most squeeze. The Diamondbacks did not add him for depth alone; they made room for him on both roster levels, which puts his next games under a sharper spotlight than his last stop in Reno.
