Thompson came into a chaotic situation after Justin Martinez allowed a solo home run and walked back-to-back batters before being pulled without recording an out. He threw just five of his 14 pitches for strikes and his average fastball velocity was down from 100 mph to 96 mph. While that’s all very troubling, Thompson got the call to nail down the save and got some clutch outs. Him, Kevin Ginkel, and Shelby Miller would be in the mix for save chances if something is wrong with Martinez.

The 32-year-old right-hander had been projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to earn $2.9 million via arbitration. Thompson was terrific out of the Diamondbacks’ bullpen in 2024, posting a 3.26 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and a 52/15 K/BB ratio across 66 1/3 innings in his 67 appearances. He’ll function in a middle relief role once again in 2025 and is highly unlikely to have any fantasy value outside of leagues that count holds.

Diamondbacks’ manager Torey Lovullo publicly removed Paul Sewald from the closer role before this game without naming a replacement. Then, he went to AJ Puk, Dylan Floro, and Justin Martinez in high leverage situations before the ninth inning, leaving Thompson as the de facto closer. This looks like it will be a revolving door to see who gets save opportunities nightly.

The Diamondbacks had gone to Paul Sewald to close out the game with a three-run lead against the Nationals. He struggled to find the zone, walking three batters and allowing a run in before leaving with one out and the bases loaded. Thompson stepped in and struck out his first batter before a wild pitch made it a one-run game. He induced a groundout for the final out to secure the win and his first save of the season.