His excitement palpable, Jameson ready to contribute again

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Drey Jameson stood on the mound at Salt River Fields on Feb. 26. And having thrown a few pitches, the D-backs¡¯ right-hander couldn¡¯t get his mind off something.

Why in the heck were his legs still shaking?

Jameson expected nerves. After all, this was his first appearance against hitters in a game situation since July 6, 2023, 601 long days that consisted of rehab followed by Tommy John surgery followed by more rehab. But after throwing a few pitches, it should have gone away.

¡°I don't know if it was excitement, but I definitely wasn't nervous,¡± Jameson said. ¡°I thought it would leave after the first couple pitches, and it just stayed the whole time.¡±

Jameson was at one point one of the organization¡¯s prized starting pitching prospects, making his big league debut in impressive fashion toward the end of the 2022 season. After losing out to Ryne Nelson in the battle for the fifth starting spot in the spring of ¡®23, Jameson was shifted to a multi-inning role out of the bullpen.

After three relief appearances, Jameson was put in the rotation, then optioned to Triple-A Reno, and then put back in the bullpen after being recalled on May 27.

In early July 2023, Jameson complained of pain in his right elbow, and after multiple medical opinions he elected to try rehab rather than have Tommy John surgery. In September, with the rehab not working, he had the surgery.

As Jameson recovered and spent his days at Salt River Fields rehabbing, his teammates were making a run at the 2023 postseason. Once they got in, they made a surprise push to the World Series.

Jameson sat in the dugout for the home playoff games and watched the road ones on TV. His teammates insisted that he was part of things, but to him, it wasn¡¯t the same because he couldn¡¯t contribute.

¡°I didn't feel a part of it because I wasn't helping win those games to get to the next game and the next game,¡± Jameson said. ¡°It's like, ¡®I appreciate you guys saying that I'm a part of this, but deep down I know I'm not.¡¯¡±

Last year, Jameson would come into camp every morning and know that his day would be spent in the training room and not on the field. That was a tough grind mentally.

Flash forward to 2025, and the D-backs are looking for Jameson to be a part of whatever success they have this year. After missing more than a year, though, he needs to build up his innings. So for this season, Arizona wants him focused on the bullpen. In the future, who knows?

Jameson has the stuff to pitch late in games, with an upper 90s fastball and a nasty slider. But more than that, he has the mentality to want the ball when the game is on the line.

¡°I like the big moments,¡± Jameson said. ¡°I'm a guy that something I need to work on in my game, honestly, is when it's not a big moment. I need to stay locked in and still pitch at my best in those situations.

¡°But you put me in a game with two outs or one out and runners on first and second, or even third, and you can¡¯t let that guy score? That¡¯s me at my best. I don¡¯t fold under that kind of pressure. I feel like that brings the best out of me.¡±

The D-backs have three main competitors for their closer¡¯s role this spring in A.J. Puk, Justin Martinez and Kevin Ginkel. But if Jameson is healthy and throwing at his best, he can be a valuable weapon as he builds his innings back up.