Diamondbacks Ace to Miss Next Start With Shoulder Trouble

Arizona Diamondbacks ace right-hand starter Corbin Burnes is expected to miss his next start due to shoulder inflammation, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reported on Saturday.

According to Piecoro, the Diamondbacks are "hopeful" that Burnes will be able to avoid spending time on the Injured List, and will be able to make the next start following his previously-scheduled start, which would have come on May 5.

Per Piecoro's article, manager Torey Lovullo said that Burnes had been dealing with shoulder fatigue during his previous starts, but had insisted on pitching through it. Burnes ended up returning to Arizona on May 2 for an MRI instead of traveling with the team to Philadelphia.

Lovullo told Piecoro that the results did not reveal any sort of major issue, but simply a bit of inflammation, lining up with Burnes' interpretation of the problem.

Perhaps that could be a contributing factor to the lack of dominant command in Burnes' arsenal and trademark cutter. The righty tossed six innings of one-run baseball against the New York Mets on April 30, but issued five walks, and has walked a combined eight batters over his last two starts.

His cutter velocity, strikeout rate, whiff rate and walk rate have all been down from what the former Cy Young winner was used to producing. That came as a concern for D-backs fans and media, but he had ultimately been steadily lowering his ERA, and has gritted out three Quality Starts in his last three outings, despite showcasing obvious signs of a struggle.

With Burnes down, the Diamondbacks could turn to right-hander Ryne Nelson to take his spot in the rotation, even if only for the one start. Nelson would be on five days rest as of May 5, as he last pitched four scoreless innings (68 pitches) on April 30.

Nelson was one of Arizona's best weapons in the starting rotation through 2024, as he delivered a 3.23 ERA and a K/9 north of 9.00 in the second half.

Due to both the depth of talent and contract value invested in Arizona's starting rotation to begin 2025, Nelson was relegated to long relief duties, where he's pitched to an inflated 5.82 ERA in just seven appearances, but with a 2.17 FIP and 3.33 xERA, suggesting he's been much better than that number shows.

But for now, it's unconfirmed just what direction the Diamondbacks will turn with regard to replacing their ace, or if Burnes will require an IL stint after his off-week. Diamondbacks On SI will continue to report on the situation.