Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Christian Montes De Oca (80) during spring training workouts at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale on Feb. 15, 2024. Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

D-backs Reliever to Have Surprise Back Surgery, Miss Rest of Season

Originally posted on Arizona Diamondbacks on SI
By Jack Sommers | Last updated Jun 14, 2025 4:56 PM ET

When Diamondbacks reliever Christian Montes De Oca first went on the injured list retroactive to June 9, the team announced it was due to right elbow inflammation. Thus it was a surprise Saturday to learn that he is going to have lower back surgery due to a lumbar injury.

It will be up to three months recovery according to manager Torey Lovullo, and he expects De Oca to miss the rest of the season. This is something that apparently been bothering the pitcher since Spring Training, and lingering all year. De Oca had been trying to manage it, but it became unbearable over the last few weeks.

Christian Montes De Oca to Have Back Surgery

De Oca, who turns 26 on August 30, made his major league debut on June 7, just two days before going on the injured list. He threw 46 pitches in 2.2 scoreless innings. Prior to that, he appeared in 17 games for the Triple-A Reno Aces, throwing 24.1 innings with a 4.07 ERA.

De Oca is a hard thrower from the Dominican Republic with a 96 MPH fastball and sinker along with a hard slider. He appeared poised to provide both length and short outings, even potentially some high-leverage innings. It took him a long time to reach the majors, and he went through quite the journey to arrive in the major leagues at this later age.

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