Diamondbacks Activate Zac Gallen, Michael Soroka

The Diamondbacks reinstated Zac Gallen from the 60-day IL ahead of Wednesday’s matchup against the Royals. The club also activated Michael Soroka from the 15-day IL. The veteran righties will replace Kade Strowd and Blake Walston, who were optioned back to Triple-A.

With the activation of Gallen, Arizona’s 40-man roster is now full. The former All-Star has been out since early July due to right elbow inflammation. Soroka had a near-minimum IL stint with shoulder inflammation. Gallen and Soroka could tag-team tonight’s outing. Both pitchers threw simulated games on Friday.

Gallen is enduring his worst season as a big leaguer. He’s posted a 6.34 ERA in 19 starts. That included an eight-start stretch allowing 40 earned runs before heading to the injured list. Gallen’s strikeout rate has tumbled to a career-low 13.9%. That number has never been below 21.5% for a full season.

Soroka has delivered strong results around multiple IL stints. He carried a sub-3.00 ERA midway through August. A clunker against the Reds in his last appearance pushed his season-long mark to 3.40. Soroka’s fastball velocity was down about 1 mph in that outing.

With Corbin Burnes returning last night, Arizona’s rotation is suddenly healthy. The club could have some decisions to make once Gallen and Soroka are fully stretched out. With the aforementioned trio joining Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Pfaadt, and Merrill Kelly, the Diamondbacks have six guys for five spots. The team could opt for a six-man rotation to finish out the regular season. Burnes is also stretching out. He navigated three innings on 57 pitches yesterday.

Strowd’s most recent stint in the majors lasted just one day. He was recalled before Tuesday’s game. The righty relieved Burnes and recorded five outs. Strowd could get another big-league opportunity when Arizona needs a fresh arm.

Walston covered the final two innings of last night’s matchup. He allowed the ghost runner to score in the 10th inning, but kept the Royals off the board in the 11th frame to earn the victory. It was Walston’s second appearance since joining the club when rosters expanded in September. Like Strowd, he’ll head back to Reno and wait for another chance in the majors.