Left-hander Robbie Ray’s grunts could be heard echoing throughout a mostly empty Chase Field. The sound — accompanied by the pops of Ray’s pitches landing in the catcher’s mitt — qualified as the first official activity for the Diamondbacks at their so-called summer camp on Friday afternoon.
For the next three weeks, the Diamondbacks and baseball’s other 29 teams will hurry through a second, abbreviated version of spring training in preparation for a 60-game season that is scheduled to begin on July 23 or 24.
For the Diamondbacks, a little more than half of their 60-player pool will work out at Chase Field, with the rest at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale.