Melvin rounds out final 4 open spots on roster

After the Diamondbacks’ contest against the San Diego Padres on Friday, manager Bob Melvin asked Robby Hammock to come into his office in the visitors’ clubhouse at Peoria Sports Complex.

As Hammock sat down, Melvin told him, “Barden made the team.” Infielder Brian Barden had been battling Hammock for one of the final spots on Arizona’s 25-man opening day roster.

As Hammock processed that information and wondered what Melvin would say next, the skipper extended his hand.

“So did you,” Melvin said.

Melvin gave similar good news to three other players who had been on the fence as the D-Backs on Saturday finalized the team they will take to Denver for Monday’s regular-season opener against the Colorado Rockies.

Hammock, a utility player, and Barden, an infielder, won the last two roster spots for position players, and right-handers Dustin Nippert and J.D. Durbin earned the last two bullpen spots.

“This is the time of year where you have to have some hard conversations with guys (who don’t make it),” Melvin said. “To be able to reward these guys was not only great for them, to have that happy conversation with them was a nice thing for me.”

Arizona, which is carrying 12 pitchers, must make a roster move before Friday, when fifth starter Micah Owings will be activated and pitch at the Washington Nationals. Three players — outfielders Carlos Quentin and Jeff DaVanon and pitcher Randy Johnson — start the season on the disabled list.

Making the team was the culmination of a long road back for Hammock, whose career was in doubt after the 2004 season because of knee and shoulder injuries. The D-Backs removed him from the 40-man roster and released him.

“So many emotions went through my mind after I got the news,” Hammock said. “All that I’ve been through the last couple of years with surgery, getting released and sitting at home unable to move my arm. It’s been some journey.”

The last two weeks of spring training were especially stressful for Hammock and Barden, a sixth-round draft choice in 2002 who has spent the last two-plus seasons at Triple-A Tucson.

“Last week has been hell,” Barden said. “Me and Robby got to a point where we were asking each other, 'Did he say anything? When is he going to say something? No? When?’ I think I started pressing the (issue) last week, because I was wondering what I needed to do to make the team.”

Hammock, who can play five positions, is an option for an Arizona squad that, with Quentin (shoulder) out, will take just three true outfielders — Scott Hairston in left field, Chris Young in center and Eric Byrnes in right — into the regular season.

“Barden, Hammock and (infielder Alberto) Callaspo can do a lot of things for us,” Melvin said. “Even though we don’t have anyone you can call our fourth outfielder right now, we feel those guys can do the job.”

Nippert, who has not pitched in relief since 2002 at rookie-level Missoula, and Durbin, a Scottsdale Coronado High graduate claimed off waivers from the Minnesota Twins last week, round out what — for now — is an eight-man bullpen. Arizona has just one left-handed reliever, Doug Slaten.

Brandon Lyon is the leading candidate to get setup work for closer Jose Valverde. Melvin said that Brandon Medders and Tony Pena could also fill the eighth-inning role.

“We feel like we have some innings (in the bullpen),” Melvin said.

“We’ll adjust the roster however we need to adjust it going forward, but we felt that this was the best way to go to start the season.”