D-backs Place Lefty Starter on Injured List in Flurry of Roster Moves

The Arizona Diamondbacks placed left-handed starter Eduardo Rodríguez on the 15-day Injured List with left shoulder inflammation, the team announced Friday.

The full roster move included three other transactions. Left-hander Joe Mantiply was optioned to Triple-A, as was reported yesterday, and right-handers Scott McGough and Christian Montes De Oca were both called up from the Reno Aces.

According to Arizona Sports 98.7's John Gambadoro, right-hander Ryne Nelson will take Rodríguez's spot in the rotation. Nelson currently has an inflated 5.13 ERA as a reliever (with a 3.71 FIP), but was one of the D-backs' best starting pitchers in 2024, pitching to a 3.23 ERA in the second half.

Rodríguez's injury comes as the latest blow in a difficult season for the left-hander. Though he had experienced an undeniable slate of bad luck in his first handful of starts, he later began to showcase reduced command, and was hit quite hard by opponents in recent outings.

Rodríguez sported a 7.05 ERA in his nine starts — the worst among qualified MLB starters. However, his peripherals have shown a different pitcher entirely, with a 4.31 FIP, 4.41 xERA and 3.86 xFIP.

But regardless of those peripherals, the results have simply not been there for the southpaw. He was blown up for eight runs apiece by both the Mets and Dodgers, and struggled through four innings against the Giants his last time out — walking three and giving up four earned runs.

The injury comes as a bit of a surprise, though clearly he has not been able to locate well without facing hard contact in recent starts. Despite a 10.48 K/9, he's posted a first-percentile -13 Pitching Run Value per Statcast.

Meanwhile, Montes De Oca will get his first taste of the major leagues, after the right-hand reliever pitched to an excellent 2.37 ERA in the offense-friendly Pacific Coast League. He has 17 strikeouts against just four walks in Triple-A.

Mantiply, the fellow southpaw, had struggled in each of his two major league stints this season. He currently sports a 15.83 ERA over 9.2 innings with the D-backs, and will head back down to the minors for the time being.

McGough has only made one appearance with Arizona this season, pitching two scoreless innings in a blowout against the Phillies to help preserve the bullpen.