Diamondbacks return Starling Peralta to Cubs

The Arizona Diamondbacks have returned right-hander Starling Peralta -- who they selected in the Rule 5 Draft over the offseason -- to the Chicago Cubs, the team has announced.

The D'backs selected Peralta with the No. 14 overall pick during December's Rule 5 Draft.

At the time of the selection, J.J. Cooper of Baseball America said Peralta's "stuff picked up in 2012 as once 88-92 mph fastball now sits 92-94." He added that the right-hander pairs his fastball with a slider "that shows flashes of being a plus pitch."

For the reasons Cooper mentions, Arizona thought Peralta was worth a look. The team paid the Cubs $50k in hopes of stashing the 22-year-old in their bullpen for the entire 2013 season.

Peralta went on to struggle this spring, allowing seven runs on five hits with three walks and no strikeouts over four appearances spanning three innings. As a result, the D'backs elected to return Peralta to the Cubs and compensate $25k of their initial $50k investment.

Peralta spent the 2012 season with the Cubs' Single-A affiliate, posting an ERA of 3.44 over 20 appearances -- including 17 starts -- with a strikeout-to-walk ratio (SO/BB) of 2.05. He owns a career ERA of 4.46 with 2.27 SO/BB over five seasons in the minors.