In a surprising move, the Arizona Diamondbacks have recalled right-handed pitcher Cristian Mena to start tonight's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. To make room for Mena on the active roster, the Diamondbacks have optioned reliever Gavin Hollowell to Triple-A Reno.

Mena, who is already on the team's 40-man roster, joined the Diamondbacks organization before the Rule 5 draft last winter. Previously, he was a promising pitching prospect for the Chicago White Sox before being traded to Arizona in exchange for outfielder Dominic Fletcher.

Although Mena didn't make the Opening Day roster, he has spent the entire season with the Triple-A Reno team. In 16 starts spanning 82 2/3 innings, Mena has shown solid performance with a 4.90 earned run average and a 24.4% strikeout percentage. However, he has struggled with his control, walking 10.4% of his opponents.

One notable aspect of Mena's performance has been his susceptibility to allowing home runs, conceding an average of 1.63 per nine innings. This statistic may be attributed to the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League environment. Despite this, Mena has maintained a decent 47% ground ball rate.

At just 21 years old, Mena is one of the younger pitchers in Triple-A. Baseball America ranked him 14th among the Diamondbacks' prospects during the winter, highlighting his well-rounded arsenal, particularly his plus curveball. Keith Law of the Athletic also recognized Mena's breaking ball, ranking him ninth among the team's prospects in February.

Both outlets believe that Mena has the potential to become a back-of-the-rotation starter as long as he continues to develop his strike-throwing skills.

The Diamondbacks will be eager to see how Mena performs in tonight's game against the Dodgers, especially given his impressive strikeout numbers and promising pitching arsenal.