NL West Notes: Diamondbacks, Widener, Closer, Ahmed, Dodgers, McKinstry

Taylor widener will open the season as a member of the Diamondbacks rotation, according to MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert (via Twitter). Widener beaten Taylor Clarke to take Zac Gallenplace in the rotation. Widener has been a highly regarded prospect, first in the Yankees’ system and then with the Diamondbacks. He made 12 appearances with the Dbacks pen in 2020 with a 4.50 / 6.49 FIP ERA in 20 innings. Clarke, meanwhile, will head to the survey pen. Elsewhere in the desert …

• Diamondbacks are opting for a more committee-based approach to start the season, according to Athletic’s Zach Buchanan (via Twitter). Joakim Soria was the closest presumptive given his past experience in the role compared to the other options on the list. Soria’s 223 career saves easily set the tone. Tyler clippard is second with 68 career saves, and Stefan Crichton comes third with just five career saves. Nonetheless, Crichton is one of the guys Torey Lovullo’s manager can turn to towards the end of the game. The Diamondbacks might just want to push some of their less strained arms to see what exactly they have in someone like Crichton or Kevin ginkel.
• Nick ahmedsuffers from knee pain, a problem he has faced in the past. He received an injection of platelet-rich plasma as treatment and plans to be ready for opening day, by Nick Piecoro of the Republic of Arizona (via Twitter). Arizona doesn’t have a perfect solution to replace Ahmed if he ran out of time. Josh rojas would probably be too short with Asdrubal Cabrera see more regular time at the keystone. For now, however, they will assume good health and move forward with Ahmed. Although not among the elite in his post, Ahmed put together a quality three-year streak, pairing a golden glove defense with an acceptable 89 wRC +.
• Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has confirmed that none of the non-aligned guests are still in the running to make their opening list, per Jorge Castillo from the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter). Presumably this means Zach McKinstry made the list a utility option on the bench. There is still a pending roster decision for the champions, however, as Roberts says they are yet to be decided on their fifth starter. David Price, Dustin May, and Tony Gonsolin are still being considered for the role. Price was wiped out of his recent departure due to illness. He plans to launch today in a simulated game. (Twitter connections). Gonsolin wrestled 3 2/3 innings against the Angels on Sunday night.