How D-backs' Rotation Was Surprisingly Stable in 2025

There is no debating that the Arizona Diamondbacks were heavily impacted by injuries in 2025. The vast majority of the damage landed in the bullpen, with one glaring exception.

Corbin Burnes went down on June 1 after making just 11 starts. He ended up needing Tommy John surgery, and will be out at least through the All-Star break of 2026.

Despite that, and somewhat ironically, the D-backs enjoyed relatively good health in the rotation in 2025.

Arizona Diamondbacks' Rotation Was Surprisingly Stable

Ryne Nelson stepped into the breach, taking over Burnes' spot in the rotation without skipping a beat. He went on to make 23 starts, posting a 3.16 ERA as a starter.

Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, and Brandon Pfaadt made it to the trade deadline without missing any starts. Gallen and Pfaadt each posted up 33 times for the full season.

Eduardo Rodriguez had a 21-day stint on the IL with shoulder inflammation in May and early June, but only missed four starts. He ended up making 29 starts by the end of the season.

Kelly made 22 starts before being traded to the Texas Rangers. Anthony DeSclafani filled in with five starts and Nabil Crismatt made four. Jalen Beeks served as an opener twice.

There were only three teams in MLB that had five or more starters make 22 or more starts, the Angels, Cubs, and D-backs. Had Kelly not been traded, the D-backs would have been one of only two teams to have four starters make 29 or more starts, along with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Furthermore, the only other time the Diamondbacks had five or more starters make 22 or more starts during the Mike Hazen/Torey Lovullo era was 2017.

Jordan Montgomery never suited up for Arizona beyond a few Spring Training outings, felled by an elbow injury of his own. But the fact is the D-backs for the most part enjoyed stable health in the rotation, with the notable exception of Burnes.

So much so that the D-backs ranked second in innings pitched per game started, with 5.5. Only the Philadelphia Phillies (5.7) had a higher average. The league average was 5.2. The D-backs also ranked sixth in quality starts (68) and quality start percentage (42%). League average was 34%.

That's not to say it was all good news. Pfaadt (5.02) and Rodriguez (5.23) both posted high ERAs. It took a strong second half run to get Gallen's ERA down to 4.83.

Going forward, the D-backs find themselves with at least two rotation spots open, Zac Gallen is a free agent, and his return is questionable. Merrill Kelly may or may not sign with Arizona again. Burnes will not be available before July 15, and who knows what they get out of him when he does return?

The D-backs have limited dollars to fill all of their needs, which extend beyond the stated priorities of starting pitching and bullpen help. We estimated that number to be between $27-37 million. Certainly they are not going to be able to fill out their pitching staff with free agency alone.

Related Content: How Much do Diamondbacks Really Have to Spend this Offseason?

They may pursue a trade for at least one controllable, above-average starter, in fact that seem likely. They may also need to look inwards toward their starting pitching prospects to fill one of the two opening day rotation spots.

Arizona Diamondbacks On SI will be taking a look at those in house depth chart options shortly in a follow-up article.

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