Feb 26, 2014; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, AZ, USA; A radar gun clocks pitch speeds during the sixth inning in a game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Diamondbacks' Top Pitching Prospect Suffers Surprise Injury

Originally posted on Arizona Diamondbacks on SI
By Alex D'Agostino | Last updated Aug 26, 2025 6:53 PM ET

The Arizona Diamondbacks have suffered another surprise pitching injury — this time to their farm system.

Left-handed starting pitcher Kohl Drake has been placed on the minor league 7-day Injured List with a shoulder sprain, according to a report from Arizona Sports 98.7's Alex Weiner.

According to Weiner, the team is not concerned that this will affect Drake's upcoming 2026 season.

Arizona Diamondbacks Place Kohl Drake on Injured List

Drake, 25, was the primary return of the Deadline trade that sent right-handed veteran starter Merrill Kelly over to the Texas Rangers.

He immediately slotted in as the Diamondbacks' No. 7 overall prospect and top-ranked pitching prospect, part of Arizona's massive influx of farm system talent at the 2025 Deadline.

Drake was one of three starting pitchers received from the Rangers, next to fellow southpaw Mitch Bratt and righty David Hagaman, but Drake was considered the closest to contributing at the major league level.

Drake enjoyed an excellent start to 2025 with Texas' Double-A affiliate Frisco RoughRiders, pitching to a 2.44 ERA over 12 starts (55.2 innings) while posting a minuscule 0.98 WHIP.

That earned him a promotion to Triple-A in the Rangers' organization, where he made just four appearances, but gave up 10 earned runs in 17.1 innings.

After coming over to the D-backs' organization, Drake was harshly met with by brutal challenge that is pitching in the Pacific Coast League — an extreme hitter's environment.

Drake delivered a sturdy first start in his organizational debut, but was crushed for 13 earned runs over his next two starts in just seven total innings. He gave up 18 hits and six walks while striking out seven in those two outings.

His most recent start was a significant improvement. Drake pitched only four innings, but gave up just one walk, one hit and an unearned run, striking out seven.

Drake may still have plenty of development left, but there's potential for his stuff to become an impressive swing-and-miss arsenal.

The Diamondbacks could certainly use an up-and-coming southpaw in their rotation. Arizona's pitching staff has been starved for quality left-hand pitching, as Eduardo Rodriguez continues to struggle through his $80 million contract.

Unfortunately for both Drake and the D-backs, he'll have to go on the shelf for the time being.

As of this writing, there is no report of severity nor a timeline for his return, with little time remaining in the 2025 season. It does seem as if Drake will be ready to go come 2026, however.