JUNE 3, 6:21 pm: Bumgarner will go on the 10-day injured list after all. The team announced they’ve recalled Humberto Castellanos to replace him on the active roster.
JUNE 3, 4:35 pm: The MRI revealed shoulder inflammation, Lovullo told reporters (including Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic). It doesn’t seem there’s much cause for concern, as the manager says the organization is hoping Bumgarner will avoid the injured list altogether.
JUNE 2: Madison Bumgarner has discomfort in his left shoulder and will go for an MRI tonight, manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (including Zach Buchanan of the Athletic). It’s an issue he’s been pitching through for 2-3 weeks, Bumgarner himself said (via Bob Nightengale of USA Today).
Perhaps not coincidentally, Bumgarner’s last four starts have been disastrous. The 31-year-old began the season with three poor games, but he seemed to flip a switch before his April 18 outing against the Nationals. Beginning with that start in Washington, Bumgarner worked to a brilliant 0.90 ERA with incredible strikeout and walk numbers (32.4% and 1.9%, respectively) over his next five outings.
Unfortunately for Bumgarner and the D-Backs, that superlative level of play vanished almost as quickly as it appeared. Over his last four starts (including today’s work against the Mets), the southpaw has only managed a 10.13 ERA with thirteen strikeouts and eight walks over sixteen frames. Bumgarner’s velocity hasn’t been dramatically different recently, although the injury could have contributed to the downturn in his performance in some other way.
Today’s loss dropped the Diamondbacks to a woeful 20-37, and it’s become increasingly apparent Arizona will wind up selling off veteran players as we get closer to the July 30 trade deadline. As MLBTR’s Steve Adams examined earlier today, it looks like it’ll be tough to find a taker for Bumgarner, who is due the balance of a $19MM salary this year, with successive figures of $23MM, $23MM and $14MM over the following three seasons. If Bumgarner now winds up requiring an injured list stint, that’d only further decrease the chances there’ll be suitors for the four-time All-Star in the coming months.