Kyle Amendt Eyes D-backs Bullpen in Arizona Fall League Return

SCOTTSDALE – For the second straight year, right-hander Kyle Amendt will pitch in the Arizona Fall League. If not for a shoulder injury suffered in May, Amendt may have finished the season in the D-backs bullpen.

"I missed about three and a half months of the season," said Amendt. "Just getting some more innings and trying to get myself ready for Spring Training next year."

Amendt was on the Salt River Rafters' championship squad last year. He pitched in five games, allowing four runs (three earned) in 5.2 innings. All four runs came off the bat of Phillies utilityman Otto Kemp on a grand slam.

In 27 games with Arizona's top minor league affiliate, he went 0-1 with a 3.03 ERA. He posted a strong strikeout rate of 31.8%, which was the highest of all Reno relievers who appeared in 20 games.

However, he also had an elevated walk rate of 14.4%. In 40 appearances in Triple-A, he's walked 33 hitters in 41.1 innings. That's something he'll have to address to earn his first major league promotion.

He was selected in the 9th round of the 2023 MLB Draft as a senior sign, with the expectation he'd move quickly up the system. He reached Triple-A in his first full year in the organization.

Amendt is a north-south pitcher. Last year, he mentioned how developing his curveball resulted in the higher arm slot.

He likes to work the zero line (0" horizontal break) with his low-90s four-seam fastball and big-breaking curveball. The fastball gets a lot of vertical carry, clocked as much as 22" of induced vertical break.

"Just being more consistent with it. Keeping the fastball at the top of the zone and really riding it, which is what I do well. Curveball below the zone is something I worked on this year that at the beginning of the year was really working well."

He also features a slider, exclusively to right-handers, as a glove-side weapon for his third pitch.

"Using that slider as a good bridge pitch. That way I can to keep hitters off the fastball when I don't necessarily have the curveball in-zone as much."

Amendt is looking to improve his ability to command his curveball and slider in all counts. With his fastball lacking velocity, he'll need to more adept at change speeds to disrupt the hitter's timing.

A strong fall league should put him in a position to compete for a bullpen role next spring. The field will be tougher, as the club added a multitude of relievers to their roster in the second half of 2025. However, there hasn't been a more opportunity for him to make the team.

"Everything is going to be dependent on Spring Training. You got to go out and compete for the team then. I hope that I get a shot too, but if not, I'm going to work as hard as I can to get up there."

The D-backs do not have to make a 40-man roster decision regarding Amendt until after the 2026 season at the latest. However, it's much more likely he'll debut with the club by the time the season ends.