Diamondbacks could see Spring Training surprise in RHP Grant Holman

PHOENIX — As pitchers and catchers settle into Salt River Fields, the Arizona Diamondbacks quietly believe they may have uncovered a spring-training sleeper in right-hander Grant Holman, whom they claimed off waivers from the Oakland Athletics earlier this month.

The 25-year-old reliever arrives at a pivotal moment for a bullpen already bracing for life without A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez, both of whom are expected to miss the first months of the regular season. With openings on the 40-man roster and innings up for grabs, Holman’s performance over the next six weeks could vault him onto the Opening Day roster.

Holman’s big-league ledger with Oakland—4.66 ERA, 33 strikeouts, 18 walks in 38.2 innings—hardly screams impact arm, yet a deeper look at his 2024 Triple-A stint offers a glimpse of upside: 9.1 scoreless frames, nine punch-outs, and a clean health sheet until a late-season injury shelved him. That brief dominance, coupled with a four-pitch mix, has piqued the curiosity of Arizona’s player-development staff.

Unlike many modern relievers who lean heavily on velocity, Holman pairs a mid-90s four-seam fastball with an 87-mph splitter, a tight slider, and an occasional sinker. The varied repertoire gives him a path to miss barrels and generate soft contact—traits the Diamondbacks value as they attempt to build a cost-effective bullpen around controllable arms.

Club control through 2031 only sweetens the acquisition. Arizona has committed significant payroll to retain its core position players, leaving the front office inclined to unearth relief solutions internally rather than shop at the top of the free-agent market. Holman, along with fellow prospects Kade Strowd and Andrew Hoffmann, will be thrown into that competition when Cactus League play opens Friday afternoon against the Colorado Rockies at 1:10 p.m. local time.

If Holman carries his Triple-A command into March, the waiver claim could evolve from depth move to late-inning option faster than many expect. For a franchise eyeing a return to October, every surprise counts.