Corbin Burnes to Have Season-Ending Elbow Surgery

Burnes came out of his start on June 1 against the Washington Nationals after experiencig elbow tightness. He said after the game that the onset of the tightness started a number of pitches before in the inning, eventually getting to the point where he stopped and called out the trainer.

Burnes described it as something he had never felt before and that there was no "popping" sensation. Those comments led to some optimism that he had caught it early enough and could dodge the knife. But the MRI revealed the tear, and after getting second opinions, the decision was made to proceed with surgery.

Burnes signed a six-year, $210 million contract with the Diamondbacks this past offseason. He has an opt-out after 2026. Seeing as he is likely to miss most of 2026 as well, it seems unlikely he will exercise that clause.

He was pitching very well, posting a 2.66 ERA in 12 starts with a 3-2 record. His previous seven starts were especially sharp, as he pitched to a 1.67 ERA since April 30.

This is obviously a terrible blow to Burnes personally and to the team's rotation plans going forward. The Diamondbacks also lost Jordan Montgomery for the year due to Tommy John Surgery. He is earning $22.5 million this year and is a free agent in 2026.

Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly are free agents after the 2025 season. It was thought that Burnes, who hadn't missed a start in over three years before this season, would provide the core of the rotation along with Brandon Pfaadt and Ryne Nelson in 2026 and beyond. Pfaadt was given a five-year, $45 million extension, but has struggled to a 5.51 ERA this year.

The rotation for now, and the foreseeable future then is Gallen, Kelly, Pfaadt, Rodriguez, and Nelson. It appears that rookie Cristian Mena is next up on the starting pitcher depth chart. He is currently working out of the major league bullpen to give long relief coverage.

The Diamondbacks rank 24th in MLB with a team 4.76 ERA, and also 24th in starting pitcher's ERA with a 4.45 mark. Last year the team finished 27th in the league with a 4.63 ERA and 4.79 starting pitcher's ERA.

In 2024 the main issue was injury, as Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez each missed roughly four months of the season, and Zac Gallen missed nearly a month's worth of starts due to recurring hamstring issues. Arizona fired head pitching coach Brent Strom after the season and hired Brian Kaplan, formerly of the Phillies to take his place.

Prior to the Burnes injury, the only missed time by a starter this year was by Rodriguez, who spent 19 days on the injured list before being activated for Friday night's start against Cincinnati.

Arizona has a 31-31 record and is 3.5 games out of the third NL Wild Card spot. They are 6.5 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West, where they also trail the Giants and Padres.