According to Piecoro, no “other deals [are] lined up or even close” involving Arizona’s pitchers, as the Diamondbacks will continue to take a measured view of the market.  A source tells Piecoro that the D’Backs will likely “spend the coming days fielding calls from teams still in the hunt for starters, including those that were in on Burnes.”  The D’Backs aren’t in any particular rush to complete a trade any time soon, as having more than a full rotation in place before New Year’s Eve gives the club plenty of time to figure out the best possible offer.

It also isn’t entirely out of the question that the Diamondbacks stand pat on their starters, especially if an injury emerges to a starter during their offseason training, or during Spring Training.  Kelly, Rodriguez, and Montgomery all missed significant time with injuries last season, so there is obvious value in having extra pitchers on hand should any more health issues create openings in the rotation.  Operating with a six-man rotation is also a possibility, in order to keep everyone healthy and fresh for what the D’Backs hope can be an extended run through the playoffs.

Given how the Burnes deal reportedly came together just within the last week when Burnes himself approached the D’Backs, it isn’t surprising that the signing wasn’t part of an immediate plan to re-model the pitching staff.  Such two-step transactions are usually hard to pull off, though the Diamondbacks were part of such a set of moves from the Guardians just last week — Arizona acquired Josh Naylor from the Guards, and Cleveland then signed Carlos Santana that same day to immediately fill Naylor’s spot as the everyday first baseman.

The fact that Burnes signed with a team that was seemingly already set for starting pitching gives GM Mike Hazen even more leverage in shopping his hurlers.  Such known Burnes suitors like the Orioles, Blue Jays, or Giants are still in need of pitching, to say nothing of the many other starter-needy clubs on the market that weren’t willing or able to meet Burnes’ asking price.

Nothing seems to have changed in terms of which starters are most prominently on Arizona’s trade block.  Gallen and Kelly are both free agents next winter but don’t seem likely to be dealt, as a team source told Piecoro that the team’s focus in on “trying to put the best team on the field in 2025.”  Nelson is controlled through the 2027 season and Pfaadt through the 2029 season, so the Diamondbacks would probably only move either if a longer-term asset (likely a position player) could be obtained in return.  The D’Backs might not mind moving the $66MM remaining on Rodriguez’s contract, but the club would certainly have to sell low and eat some of that money in the wake of E-Rod’s injury-plagued down year.

That leaves Montgomery as still the chief candidate to be dealt before Opening Day.  Montgomery’s trade value is also at a low ebb after his rough first year in Arizona, and his $22.5MM salary for the 2025 season.  Owner Ken Kendrick’s public criticism of Montgomery following the season only increased the probability that the left-hander would be pitching elsewhere next year, yet again, the Burnes signing gives the D’Backs some flexibility in this regard.  The Diamondbacks technically don’t have to trade Montgomery if an acceptable offer for another starter comes their way, and offers for Montgomery might improve if other teams become increasingly desperate to add pitching.

Of the six, Montgomery is the most obvious trade candidate, following a rough 2024 showing and owner Ken Kendrick’s public, verbal thrashing of the player. In October, Kendrick openly lamented ever pushing his front office to sign Montgomery late in the 2023-24 offseason, calling it a “horrible decision to have invested that money in a guy that performed as poorly as he did” and “our biggest mistake this season from a talent standpoint.” Montgomery unsurprisingly exercised a $22.5MM player option even after being called out by Kendrick — a straightforward decision for a pitcher coming off an injury-shortened year with career-worst marks in ERA (6.23), strikeout rate (15.6%) and walk rate (8.3%).

For all the focus placed on Montgomery’s struggles last year, the other veteran lefty signed by Arizona last offseason also fell well short of expectations. Rodriguez signed a four-year, $80MM pact with the Snakes but was limited to just 10 starts after opening the season on the injured list due to a shoulder strain. He pitched 50 innings of 5.04 ERA ball while showing diminished life on his four-seamer and sinker. Rodriguez is owed $20MM for the coming season, $21MM in 2026 and $19MM in 2027. He’s also guaranteed a $6MM buyout on a $17MM mutual option for the 2028 season — an option that could automatically vest based on his innings tallies in 2026-27. While Montgomery’s contract is underwater, the three years and $66MM remaining on Rodriguez’s pact very likely make him even harder to unload.

Any of  the other four arms in Arizona’s rotation would be hard to pry loose. Ace Zac Gallen is a Cy Young contender when healthy, evidenced by fifth- and third-place finishes in 2022 and 2023 balloting. He missed about a month of action with a hamstring strain in 2024 and flashed worse command than usual (relative to his excellent standards, anyhow), but any team would love to have the right-hander. He’s projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $14.1MM in his final season of club control before becoming a free agent next winter. Gallen is not being shopped, to be clear. Hazen even chuckled at the mere notion of Gallen being a prominent trade candidate in a mid-November appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7’s Wolf & Luke Show (2:35 mark). That’s unlikely to stop other teams from trying.

Kelly, like Gallen, is a free agent next offseason. He missed more than three months in 2024 with a shoulder strain but was generally effective when healthy, logging a 4.03 ERA with a slightly below-average 21% strikeout rate and a strong 6.3% walk rate. Arizona made an easy call to exercise a $7MM club option on Kelly for the upcoming season.

Nelson and Pfaadt are both controllable and thus quite valuable to the Snakes. The 26-year-old Nelson is under club control for four more seasons and just tossed 150 2/3 innings with a 4.24 ERA, 20% strikeout rate and outstanding 5.4% walk rate in 2024. Those numbers are skewed by a slow start, but from July onward, Nelson posted a 3.05 ERA, 24.8 K% and 5.0 BB% in 82 2/3 frames. He’s not yet eligible for arbitration.

Pfaadt, also 26, paced the D-backs with 181 2/3 innings and 32 starts. His 4.71 ERA doesn’t stand out, but his 24.3% strikeout rate, 5.5% walk rate, 3.61 FIP and 3.65 SIERA are all far more encouraging. He might’ve worn down a bit late in the season as he pushed through that new career-high workload, as his worst months were August and September. A disproportionate amount of the damage against Pfaadt this season came in one nightmare September outing, wherein the Brewers tagged him for eight runs in just 1 2/3 innings. Lopping off even that one start would cause his season-long ERA to drop by nearly 40 points. Regardless, the former top prospect is a 2025 breakout candidate when considering his pedigree and rate stats that far outpace his pedestrian earned run average. Of the arms on the big league staff, he’s probably the most difficult for another team to acquire.

There’s depth even beyond that sextet. Right-hander Drey Jameson will be back from 2023 Tommy John surgery next year. He’s already had some big league success. There are another five starters on the 40-man roster and likely ticketed for Triple-A, all of whom have minor league options remaining and at least a bit of MLB experience: Yilber Diaz, Slade Cecconi, Blake Walston, Cristian Mena and Tommy Henry. Few organizations boast a stockpile of arms so deep.

All of that is to say — it’s hardly a surprise that clubs are calling the D-backs about their starters. The same is true of their outfielders, as Hazen already acknowledged a couple weeks back. Piecoro writes that (naturally) Montgomery is both the likeliest to move and the pitcher whom the team would most strongly prefer to deal. Hazen stated that Kendrick’s comments regarding the left-hander have “zero” impact on the urgency to trade him, though there’s likely some public-facing lip service at play there.

Piecoro adds that the D-backs would be willing to take on another contract of some note in return for Montgomery (if said player filled a roster need) or perhaps pursue more of a traditional salary dump, where they shed as much of the contract as possible for little to no return. Of note, Hazen suggested that if he’s to ultimately move Montgomery in deal that is primarily rooted in salary relief, the trade would need to come together before the bulk of quality free agents come off the board: “At some point, it doesn’t make sense because your pivot moves are picking at the edges rather than getting somebody (who is more of a target).”

All three decisions were expected, even with Kelly missing over half of the season due to a teres major strain.  The right-hander was limited to 73 2/3 innings over 13 starts, with a 4.03 ERA and some pretty unimpressive Statcast numbers, save for a solid 6.3% walk rate.

Assuming good health for Kelly next year, however, the $6MM decision (there was a $1MM buyout attached) was still an easy one for Arizona to make, given how well he has generally pitched over his six seasons in a Diamondbacks uniform.  Kelly didn’t make his MLB debut until age 30, after the D’Backs signed him to return to North America after a successful four-season run in the KBO League.  Over the course of two separate contracts with Arizona, Kelly has now earned $37.5MM over a seven-year span since returning from South Korea.

The D’Backs were hoping for more reclamation success when they signed McGough to a two-year, $6.25MM deal in the 2022-23 offseason, as McGough had pitched well over four seasons with the Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball.  Unfortunately, McGough posted a 4.73 ERA in 70 1/3 innings out of Arizona’s bullpen in 2023, and then a 7.44 ERA in 32 2/3 frames this season.  The right-hander’s home run and walk rates were constant issues, while McGough’s strikeout rate also plummeted from 28.6% in 2023 to just 16.7% this season.

Pederson almost exclusively faced right-handed pitching this season, and was utilized only as a designated hitter.  Albeit within this limited scope, Pederson enjoyed a monster year, hitting .275/.393/.515 with 23 homers over 449 plate appearances.  Among all position-player free agents, only six posted a higher fWAR than Pederson’s 3.0 mark in 2024, and only Juan Soto had a higher wRC+ than Pederson’s 151.

While Pederson resisted being a full-time platoon player or DH earlier in his career, embracing his specialist role has obvious upside, and could lead to another nice payday as he enters his age-33 season.  No shortage of teams could use Pederson’s power, and a return to the D’Backs is certainly a possibility given how well the veteran slugger performed in his first season in Arizona.  Randal Grichuk also declined his end of a mutual option, leaving the Diamondbacks without both pieces of their unofficial lefty-righty platoon.  Depending on the asking prices, the D’Backs could perhaps look to re-sign one of Pederson or Grichuk, and then look another complementary bat to fill the other side of the virtual platoon.

As noted by Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, that’s the second time in three starts that Kelly has exited early due to a cramping issue, after he departed his start on the 11th after just four innings due to cramping in his right hamstring. Cramping doesn’t seem to be an immediately concerning injury for the 35-year-old veteran to be suffering from but the fact that Kelly has had two starts cut short due to the issue, both of which involved his lower right leg, in such short order is somewhat worrisome for a Diamondbacks club that both has its eyes on a second consecutive postseason run and has not yet clinched its spot in the playoffs.

After an excellent 2023 season where he pitched to a 3.29 ERA and 3.85 FIP in 30 regular season starts before dominating with a 2.25 ERA in four starts during the club’s pennant-winning playoff run, Kelly got off to a similarly strong start early this year with a 2.19 ERA and 3.78 FIP through the middle of April, but was promptly sidelined by a teres major strain that wound up keeping him on the shelf for the majority of the season. The right-hander finally returned to action last month but hasn’t been nearly as successful since returning from injury.

In seven starts spanning 38 1/3 innings of work prior to tonight’s game, Kelly has surrendered a 5.17 ERA with a 5.44 FIP while striking out just 17% of opponents. That’s a worrisome dip for a pitcher who punched out more than a quarter of batters faced just last year, and it’s further exacerbated by Kelly’s sudden penchant for the long ball; prior to tonight’s shortened scoreless outing, Kelly had surrendered eight home runs since returning from the IL. Only six qualified starters have surrendered more homers in that time. Tonight’s five innings of shutout baseball seemed to represent a step in the right direction for Kelly with the postseason just over the horizon, so long as he remains healthy enough to pitch.

With Zac Gallen sure to front the club’s playoff rotation, an injury to Kelly that prevents him from starting postseason games for Arizona would seemingly line lefty Eduardo Rodriguez and youngster Brandon Pfaadt up to start behind Gallen in the playoffs, though (much like Kelly) Rodriguez has struggled since coming off the IL last month while Pfaadt has a 7.58 ERA in September. Both pitchers seem more likely to start playoff games for the Diamondbacks than lefty Jordan Montgomery, who has struggled to a 6.23 ERA and 4.59 FIP since he signed with the club back in March and was demoted to the bullpen late last month.

Fortunately, the club could have another option. As noted by MLB.com’s Injury Tracker, the club remains optimistic that right-hander Ryne Nelson will be able to return from the injured list prior to the end of the season next week. The righty was placed on the shelf last weekend due to shoulder inflammation but was scheduled to throw a bullpen session today and is first eligible to return to action on September 26. The 26-year-old has impressed in his second season as a regular starter for Arizona, with a roughly league average 4.33 ERA and a stronger 3.76 FIP in 147 2/3 innings of work this year. Should Nelson return from the injured list next week as expected, he’ll be able to join the club’s postseason rotation and give the Diamondbacks some flexibility if Kelly’s exit this evening proves serious.

Kelly, now 35, was a durable and dependable starter for the Diamondbacks from 2021-23, making 90 starts and pitching to a 3.66 ERA and 4.16 SIERA. He got off to a strong start over his first four outings in 2024, putting up a 2.19 ERA and 3.88 SIERA in 24 2/3 innings pitched, but he suffered a teres major strain in mid-April. The right-hander will make his highly anticipated return this afternoon against the Phillies, and the D-backs will have their full rotation healthy for the first time this season. Manager Torey Lovullo now has six healthy starters at his disposal: Zac Gallen, Brandon Pfaadt, Eduardo Rodriguez, Jordan Montgomery, Ryne Nelson, and Kelly.

McGough, 34, signed a two-year deal with Arizona during the 2022-23 offseason. He was a serviceable middle reliever last season, pitching to a 4.73 ERA and 3.49 SIERA over 70 1/3 innings, but he has struggled in 2024. Over 29 innings, McGough has a 6.83 ERA and 5.63 SIERA. This is the third time he has been optioned this season.

As for Castellanos, 26, he has failed to make much of an impression over 32 games (16 starts) for the Diamondbacks at the big league level. Since the D-backs claimed him off of waivers from the Astros during the 2020-21 offseason, he has pitched to a 5.29 ERA and 4.89 SIERA over 100 1/3 innings as both a starter and a reliever. His minor league stats aren’t much better; he has a 4.59 ERA and 6.64 FIP at Triple-A this year. If Castellanos passes through waivers unclaimed, he will have the right to reject an outright assignment to Triple-A and elect free agency.

It won’t be official until Kelly gets through a bullpen session slated for Friday, but as Lovullo put it, “you guys can read between the lines” about the team’s plans.  “You get to a certain pitch count…when things get beyond three innings [in rehab starts], it gets real.  We like when it gets in that 80-pitch range.  We fire downrange when we’ve gotten into that spot before.  So stay tuned.”

Kelly already passed the three-inning threshold in his first minor league rehab assignment last Tuesday, when he threw 62 pitches over four innings with the high-A Everett affiliate.  Given both his long layoff and the fact that he has faced only A-ball competition, it is a little surprising that this will apparently be Kelly’s only rehab outing, but Lovullo said that “reports were really good” and that Kelly “did exactly what we wanted him to do.”  The manager noted that Kelly would be on something of a limited pitch count on Sunday, in the range of 75-80 pitches as the D’Backs ease him into action.

Now in his sixth season with Arizona, Kelly has become a rotation stalwart for the Snakes, posting a 3.75 ERA over his 775 1/3 regular-season innings.  The righty’s first MLB season (in 2019) saw him post 183 1/3 innings, and he then averaged 179 frames over the 2021-23 seasons, as Kelly missed a couple of months in that stretch with some relatively minor injuries but was otherwise a durable arm.  He gained more national attention during the Diamondbacks’ run to the NL pennant last fall, posting a 2.25 ERA in 24 playoff innings.

With Kelly on the verge of returning and Eduardo Rodriguez making his season debut earlier this week, the D’Backs will finally have their first-choice starting rotation intact for the first time all season.  Ironically, this reinforced rotation comes just as the team has taken a big blow behind the plate, as Gabriel Moreno was placed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday with a left adductor strain.

Moreno will miss “several weeks” recovering, Lovullo told Arizona Sports (video link), and a more solid timeline could be known once the catcher “gets some second opinions” and a broader examination of his MRI results.  While Lovullo didn’t give any indication that Moreno’s injury could end his season, such a possibility can’t be ruled out simply due to the calendar and the fact that Moreno looks to be out until September at the earliest.  Any kind of setback could shut Moreno down entirely for the remainder of the 2024 campaign, and perhaps into whatever postseason activity could await the Diamondbacks.

The former star prospect has continued to impress in his second full Major League season, hitting .262/.344/.385 with five home runs over 314 plate appearances while delivering impressive defense.  There wouldn’t have been an easy way for the D’Backs to replace Moreno even if he’d gotten hurt before the trade deadline, but if he is looking at an extended absence, the pickings are slim for the Snakes to bolster the catching ranks.  Jose Herrera and rookie Adrian Del Castillo comprise Arizona’s catching corps, but Andrew Knizner was just claimed off waivers from the Rangers today to give the Snakes a bit more experienced depth behind the plate.

Tonight’s game provided an immediate test. Arizona coughed up an early 5-0 lead but bounced back to take a two-run lead into the ninth. Lovullo tabbed sidewinder Ryan Thompson to close it out. Thompson gave up a couple singles and a run but successfully locked down a 9-8 victory. That usage could indicate the sinkerballer will get the bulk of the closing chances, though Arizona needed to use high-leverage arms Kevin Ginkel, A.J. Puk, Dylan Floro and Justin Martinez just to get it to the ninth.

In any case, the Snakes won’t give every narrow ninth inning lead to Sewald. The veteran right-hander had been almost spotless between his early May season debut through the end of June. He carried a 0.54 ERA over 16 2/3 frames. Sewald locked down his first 11 save chances in the process.

Things unraveled for him almost immediately once the calendar turned to July. Sewald gave up multiple runs and blew the lead in each of his first three outings of the month, all of which ended up being Arizona losses. He rebounded with five straight scoreless appearances, but he’s given up runs in three of his four most recent games.

Sewald blew a save in what turned out to be an extra-inning loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday. He got the call on Wednesday to hold a 5-2 lead against the Nationals but put four of five runners aboard (three via walk). Thompson came on and ended up securing a 5-4 win. That’s technically a hold for Sewald but obviously not a good performance.

The nightmarish few weeks came largely out of nowhere. Sewald has been one of the best relievers in MLB since his breakout with the Mariners in 2021. He turned in a 2.88 ERA over parts of three seasons in Seattle. Arizona’s call to send Josh Rojas, Dominic Canzone and Ryan Bliss to the M’s at last year’s deadline added needed stability to the back end of the bullpen.

It ended up being one of the biggest moves in the D-Backs’ surprising pennant run, as Sewald picked up 13 saves with a 3.57 ERA down the stretch. He wasn’t missing quite as many bats as he had in Seattle, but Sewald had a 2.10 ERA with a 25.2% strikeout rate over 34 1/3 innings as a Diamondback until last month. He is an impending free agent, so his performance down the stretch is especially important for him personally.

Arizona made a big deadline move for bullpen help for the second straight year, bringing in Puk for a pair of prospects last month. They swung a more minor deal for Floro minutes before the deadline on Tuesday evening. That gives them some cover to allow Sewald to work through this funk in lower-leverage spots.

The D-Backs are trying to hang onto a Wild Card spot in what remains a crowded National League field. They’re riding a four-game win streak to get a season-high eight games over .500 but are only one game clear of the Mets, the top non-playoff team at the moment.

Two big factors in their potential pennant push: Eduardo Rodriguez and Merrill Kelly. Arizona has been without two of their top starters for the bulk of the season. Rodriguez has yet to make his team debut after sustaining a lat strain in Spring Training. Kelly went down in mid-April with a shoulder strain.

The D-Backs could get a boost from both pitchers. Rodriguez should be reinstated from the 60-day injured list to start next Tuesday’s game against the Guardians, tweets John Gambadoro. Meanwhile, Gilbert relays on X that Kelly is slated to start a rehab stint that same night with High-A Hillsboro. That’d likely kick off a few week rehab process before he’s ready to get back on the mound at Chase Field.

Arizona did get a couple less encouraging updates on the pitching staff, though. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic tweets that reliever Bryce Jarvis is likely to miss the rest of the season with an elbow sprain. The former first-round pick is not expected to require surgery but will need to be shut down from throwing. Jarvis has worked in a low-leverage relief role, tossing 59 1/3 frames of 3.19 ERA ball. His strikeout and walk profile is a lot less impressive than that ERA, but the Duke product has been a bullpen workhorse.

Rookie right-hander Cristian Mena is also likely done for the season. Alex Weiner of AZ Sports reported on Tuesday that the 21-year-old suffered a forearm strain in Triple-A (X link). Mena, who made his MLB debut last month with a three-inning spot start, is on the minor league injured list but could move to the 60-day IL if the Snakes need a 40-man roster spot. The Diamondbacks acquired him over the winter in a one-for-one swap sending outfielder Dominic Fletcher to the White Sox.

Speaking at a Q&A event with fans and media (including Jake Oliver of Inside The Diamondbacks), Kelly said that “in my mind, I’m hoping I’m on that Tampa, Miami, Boston trip,” referring to a nine-game Diamondbacks road trip that starts on August 16.  “That seems to be around the right time I might be back in there, but obviously, things can change as we go along.”

There is still a lot of fluidity within this rehab plan, and the fact that Kelly’s initial estimated return date has already been significantly pushed back isn’t a great sign.  As Kelly noted, he and the team first thought he could be back around the All-Star break — if mid-August now represents perhaps something of a best-case scenario, any kind of setback could quite possibly put his season in jeopardy.  There is still a long way to go in Kelly’s ramp-up process, as he only just started a throwing program with games of catch.

The D’Backs have a modest 38-40 record in the defense of their National League pennant, yet the NL’s parity has kept Arizona within two games of the last wild card spot.  Considering that the Snakes have been without Kelly for most of the season, Eduardo Rodriguez for the entire season, and Zac Gallen for a little more than three weeks, a 38-40 record isn’t a bad result for a team missing its three top starters.

Gallen could potentially return next week, and Rodriguez has started his own throwing progression after his long layoff, so he might be facing a similar timeline as Kelly.  If Arizona can continue to at least tread water in the playoff race until mid-August, getting Kelly and Rodriguez back into the rotation would provide an enormous boost down the stretch.

Kelly also discussed his longer-term career future as part of the Q&A, saying “I’d love to be a Diamondback my whole career and especially being the Arizona native, I would love to stay here as long as I can.”  Kelly also revealed that he had spoken with the Diamondbacks about a possible contract extension, saying “I keep trying to sign and keep trying to talk them into signing me some more,” though he didn’t give any details on the status of those talks or if the D’Backs had shown any reciprocal interest.

It would be understandable if the D’Backs first wanted to see how Kelly emerge from this long injury layoff before considering a new contract, plus Kelly is already under team control for the 2025 season via a $7MM club option.  Since a $1MM buyout is attached to that option, that the $6MM decision seems like a pretty easy one for the Diamondbacks to make even despite Kelly’s shoulder problems, considering how well he has pitched over his six seasons in Arizona.

Kelly didn’t make his MLB debut until he was 30 years old, as he started his pro career in the Rays’ farm system before pitching in South Korea for four seasons.  Impressed by Kelly’s KBO League performance, the D’Backs signed him to a two-year, $5.5MM free agent deal in December 2018, in a decision that will go down as one of GM Mike Hazen’s shrewdest moves.  Kelly has already signed one extension with the Diamondbacks, agreeing to his current two-year, $18MM contract in April 2022.

Bowman, 32, inked a minor league deal with Minnesota over the winter. The Twins selected his contract in the second week of the regular season. Bowman pitched five times, tossing 7 2/3 innings of two-run ball. He struck out six and issued four walks before being designated for assignment when the Twins welcomed Jhoan Duran back from the injured list. Bowman is out of options, so the Twins didn’t have the luxury of sending him back to Triple-A once they called him up.

A Princeton graduate, Bowman pitched for the Cardinals and Reds between 2016-19. He turned in three sub-4.00 ERA showings along the way, generally relying on huge ground-ball numbers to compensate for middling strikeout tallies. Injuries — most notably a September 2020 Tommy John procedure — kept Bowman out of game action for the next few years. He returned to health in Triple-A with the Yankees a year ago.

Bowman had a solid run for New York’s Triple-A affiliate. He posted a 3.99 ERA behind a 51.9% grounder percentage over 58 2/3 frames. The Yankees called him to the majors for a trio of appearances in September before waiving him at the end of the season.

Arizona is willing to install Bowman into the middle relief group. They’ll send cash Minnesota’s way to jump the waiver line. While Bowman doesn’t have much recent MLB experience because of the injuries, he’d gotten out to a strong start with Minnesota’s top farm team. He worked six innings and allowed only one unearned run with Triple-A St. Paul, striking out seven against a pair of walks.

The Diamondbacks have had a below-average relief group through the season’s first month. They entered play Thursday ranked 20th in ERA (4.34) and 28th in strikeout rate (18.7%). Arizona relievers have the fifth-highest walk percentage (11.3%) and have needed to shoulder the ninth-most innings.

The group was put under particular stress this week. After the now famous bee incident delayed Tuesday’s game, the D-Backs scratched Jordan Montgomery and used seven relievers to get through a bullpen game. Montgomery started yesterday but was knocked out after just three innings, requiring three more relievers (including a 3 2/3 inning stint from Walston in his MLB debut). Bowman adds a fresh arm to the middle innings.

Kelly suffered a shoulder strain that’ll require a lengthy absence. Manager Torey Lovullo was recently noncommittal on getting him back before the All-Star Break. He’s now out for a minimum of 60 days from the time of his original IL placement on April 20. He’s at least out of MLB action until mid-June.

“We’re not looking in terms of weeks as what we had hoped for,” Lovullo admitted (link via Theo Mackie of AZ Central). “So I think the next step up is a month, more than that.” While the manager said that surgery is not under consideration, he was noncommittal when asked if Kelly would be back before the All-Star Break.

It’s another hit to a rotation that’s already without Eduardo Rodriguez until at least the end of May. Arizona’s biggest offseason signee suffered a lat strain in Spring Training. A recent setback resulted in a move to the 60-day IL. The D-Backs subsequently signed Jordan Montgomery to offset some of the impact of losing Rodriguez, yet Kelly’s absence adds more uncertainty to what is arguably the team’s weakest area: rotation depth.

Zac Gallen, Montgomery and Brandon Pfaadt will hold the top three spots. Ryne Nelson opened the season in the rotation before taking a comebacker off his elbow and landing on the IL last week. Slade Cecconi and Tommy Henry seem like the top options for the #4/5 spots until Nelson returns. There’s very little experience behind them. Cristian Mena and Blake Walston are on the 40-man roster but have yet to make their MLB debuts. Humberto Castellanos and Konnor Pilkington have limited big league experience and are in the organization as non-roster players at Triple-A Reno.

No one from that group can be expected to come particularly close to matching Kelly’s reliability. The veteran righty has allowed fewer than 3.40 earned runs per nine while reaching 30 starts in each of the past two seasons. He’d gotten out to another excellent April, working to a 2.19 ERA in his first 24 2/3 frames.

The defending NL champs have had a pedestrian start overall, posting a 12-13 record. They’ll hope a talented lineup keeps them in the playoff mix until their rotation gets closer to full strength. Rodriguez and Kelly could be back well in advance of deadline season, but an extended absence from one or both may increase the pressure on the front office to upgrade the starting pitching this summer.

April 22: The Diamondbacks will recall left-hander Tommy Henry from Triple-A Reno to start tomorrow evening’s game against the Cardinals, manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (including Theo Mackie of AZ Central). Arizona optioned Henry five days ago. Pitchers need to stay on optional assignment for at least 15 days unless they’re recalled to replace a player who is going on the injured list, so Arizona will need to make an IL move tomorrow.

Lovullo confirmed that the “most likely” option would be placing Merrill Kelly on the 15-day IL, although the skipper noted that one of Arizona’s relievers could land on the shelf instead. Kelly was recently sent for imaging on his shoulder after suffering some kind of injury to his teres major muscle. The 35-year-old righty was scratched from his scheduled start yesterday as a result.

If Kelly hits the IL, he’ll join Eduardo Rodriguez and Ryne Nelson on the shelf. Jordan Montgomery made his team debut last Friday and tossed six solid innings against the Giants. Montgomery’s presence becomes all the more meaningful if Kelly is out, as Arizona’s staff otherwise looks very thin behind Zac Gallen and Brandon Pfaadt. The D-Backs brought up Slade Cecconi to take Kelly’s start yesterday. Henry would seem the choice for the final spot, although he hasn’t had a great start to the year.

The Michigan product has taken the ball four times. Over 18 1/3 innings, he’s given up 15 runs (14 of them earned) on 25 hits. Henry has walked eight (9% rate) while striking out 18 (20.8%). The 26-year-old has worked as a depth starter over the past three years. In 154 1/3 frames covering 30 appearances — roughly the equivalent of one full season — Henry has allowed 4.84 earned runs per nine with worse than average strikeout and walk rates.

Kelly has continued to excel in his sixth season in Arizona. Over his first four starts, he owns a 2.19 ERA in 24 2/3 innings. Kelly hasn’t posted an ERA above 3.37 since 2021. He missed a couple weeks last season with calf inflammation but reached the 30-start threshold for a second straight year. Kelly topped 150 frames each season between 2021-23.

Missed time for Kelly would be a serious blow to the Diamondbacks’ rotation, which has already been without veteran southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez to this point in a season due to a lat strain. Losing Kelly, who sports a 3.26 ERA and 3.75 FIP over 67 starts dating back to the 2022 campaign, would compound the loss of Rodriguez and right-hander Ryne Nelson, who was placed on the injured list with a right elbow contusion last week. Kelly’s start this afternoon will instead go to right-hander Slade Cecconi, who posted a 4.33 ERA and 4.37 FIP in 27 innings of work for Dbacks last year.

If Kelly misses more than just today’s start, the club would likely need a fifth starter to go along with Cecconi, Zac Gallen, Jordan Montgomery, and Brandon Pfaadt. One possible option could be left-hander Tommy Henry, who has pitched 154 1/3 innings of work across 30 appearances with the Diamondbacks since his debut in 2022 but has generally struggled in those appearances. While he posted a roughly league average ERA of 4.15 with the club last year, he allowed 15 runs (14 earned) in just 18 1/3 innings across four starts in the majors this year and holds a career ERA in the big leagues of 4.84 with a 5.18 FIP.

More from around the NL West…

• The Dodgers are having some rotation issues of their own, with Bobby Miller, Kyle Hurt, and Emmet Sheehan all joining arms such as Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May, and Tony Gonsolin on the shelf in recent weeks. Of the club’s many injured starters, right-hander Walker Buehler appears to be the only one nearing a return, though even he won’t be an immediate solution to the club’s rotation puzzle. As noted by Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register, manager Dave Roberts recently told reporters that Buehler will make at least one more rehab start before returning to the big league club. Said start is scheduled for Wednesday, meaning the earliest Buehler could be expected to pitch in the majors would be April 29. In the meantime, the club figures to lean on right-hander Landon Knack to fill out the rotation alongside Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, James Paxton, and Gavin Stone.
• The Giants placed right-hander Alex Cobb on the 60-day IL yesterday after the right-hander suffered a setback in his rehab from hip surgery earlier this week. While that news initially appeared to be somewhat ominous, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area relays this afternoon that manager Bob Melvin told reporters that it’s “realistic” that Cobb could be activated as soon as he’s first eligible to return on May 27. That’s great news for San Francisco, as the club has leaned on Cobb more than any pitcher besides Logan Webb since he joined the club on a two-year deal prior to the 2022 season. In that time, he’s made 56 starts for the Giants while pitching to a 3.80 ERA with an even stronger 3.41 FIP. Young righty Keaton Winn has filled out the club’s rotation alongside Webb, Blake Snell, Kyle Harrison, and Jordan Hicks while Cobb has been out of commission.

This was the only multi-year offer Kelly received that winter, so he jumped at the chance at some extra security as he made his MLB debut at age 30.  Between that initial contract and a subsequent extension signed prior to the 2022 season, Kelly’s time in Arizona has now included five seasons, at least $32.5MM in guaranteed salary, and now a key role in the postseason.  Kelly has a 2.25 ERA over four starts and 24 innings in these playoffs, and holds an interesting distinction as the first pitcher to earn a win in both the Korean Series (helping the Wyverns capture the 2018 title) and the World Series.

Some more from around the NL West….

• Before the Diamondbacks picked up Tommy Pham from the Mets at the trade deadline, the Dodgers were known to be one of several other teams who considered acquiring the veteran outfielder.  Pham told Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times that he wanted to join the Dodgers last offseason, but president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman twice turned down overtures from Pham’s agent, as L.A. was focused on adding a left-handed hitting outfielder instead.  David Peralta ended up being that lefty swinging outfielder, and while Peralta had a subpar season, Pham hit .256/.328/.446 over 481 combined PA with the Mets and D’Backs this season.  Pham has continued to contribute during Arizona’s playoff run, including a four-hit night in Game 2 of the World Series.
• A.J. Preller’s management style as the Padres’ president of baseball operations has come under increased criticism due to the team’s disappointing 2023 season, as well as the reported discord between Preller and now-former manager Bob Melvin.  Preller spoke with Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune and other reporters about what he is looking for in hiring the Padres’ next skipper, with Acee adding details and anecdotes within the piece related to Preller’s approach, his (to some, overbearing) attention to detail, and the communication breakdown that occurred between Preller and Melvin over the last year.

Ruiz, 28, began the year with the White Sox but was lit up for nine earned runs in 3 2/3 innings before being designated for assignment. That was obviously a small sample and Ruiz had fared better in prior campaigns. Coming into this year, he had a 4.17 ERA in 174 appearances, striking out 23% of opponents and keeping the ball on the ground at a 40.6% clip, though his 11.1% walk rate was on the high side.

The Diamondbacks decided to ignore the early results from this year and bank on that track record, sending cash considerations to the White Sox in order to skip the waiver queue. Ruiz has gone on to throw 40 2/3 innings for the Snakes this year with a 4.43 ERA, along with a 19.8% strikeout rate, 9.3% walk rate and 42.4% ground ball rate. That’s obviously an improvement over how his season started but still fairly uninspiring overall. He’s also been struggling of late, with an 8.22 ERA in 7 2/3 innings since the calendar flipped to July, which surely helped to nudge him off the roster. Ruiz is out of options, so the only way for the club to open a spot for Kelly was to designate him for assignment.

The D’Backs will now have one week to trade Ruiz or pass him through waivers. Players with more than three years of service time or a previous career outright have the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency, with Ruiz qualifying on both accounts. However, since he has less than five years of service time, he would have to forfeit his remaining salary in order to exercise that right. He and the White Sox avoided arbitration with an agreement for a $925K salary for this season, which is a bit above the $720K minimum this year. In the event he clears waivers, he might decide to accept an assignment to Triple-A Reno instead of leaving money on the table.

Kelly returns to the rotation after missing almost a month due to calf inflammation. He slots in next to Zac Gallen, Ryne Nelson, Tommy Henry and Brandon Pfaadt for now, though general Mike Hazen has stated the club will be looking for upgrades. They’ve recently been connected to high-profile pitchers like Lucas Giolito and Shohei Ohtani, though the next week will determine whether or not they can be successful in those pursuits. The deadline in on August 1.

At this point, it’s unclear how serious Kelly’s injury is, but it’s a notable loss for the club nonetheless. The Diamondbacks have a fairly top-heavy rotation with Kelly and Zac Gallen being the two most effective members. Gallen has an excellent 2.84 ERA on the year and Kelly isn’t far behind with a 3.22 mark. Then there’s a notable drop to the 4.31 ERA of Tommy Henry, the 4.97 of Ryne Nelson and the 7.82 of Zach Davies.

The Diamondbacks are leading the National League West but have a couple of clubs on their heels as each of the Dodgers and Giants are within three games. With the All-Star break now effectively two weeks away, they will have to forge ahead without Kelly for at least that long. Drey Jameson has been with the big league club in a long relief role and could perhaps step into the rotation. Brandon Pfaadt got some big league starts earlier this year but posted an 8.37 ERA in those before getting optioned back down. Konnor Pilkington is also on the 40-man but has been struggling in the minors this year.

As for Mantiply, he posted a 2.85 ERA last year and even got selected to the All-Star game but has taken a step back this year. He’s gone on the injured list a couple of times already, once due to left shoulder inflammation and another time for a right hamstring strain. Around those ailments, he’s tossed 15 2/3 innings with a 5.74 ERA. His peripherals are still pretty similar to last year’s as a 50.8% strand rate seems to be pushing his ERA up. Nonetheless, he now finds himself headed to Reno to get into a groove.

Martinez, 21, will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game. He served largely as a starting pitcher in the lower levels of the minors but required Tommy John surgery in 2021. After a long injury layoff and the minor leagues getting cancelled by the pandemic in 2020, he came back as a reliever last year. He tossed 38 innings across four different levels, finishing the year at Triple-A. He posted a 3.32 ERA in that time with an incredible 36.7% strikeout rate but 13% walk rate.

Despite the free passes, the club was intrigued enough to add him to the roster in November to prevent him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft. This year, he’s been in Triple-A, tossing 28 innings thus far. He has a 4.18 ERA, striking out 29.7% of opponents but with an astonishing 21.1% walk rate. Despite the control issues, he was recently ranked the club’s #21 prospect at Baseball America and #12 at FanGraphs.