Kyle Nelson Discusses His Difficult Journey Back to Health

Arizona Diamondbacks left-handed reliever Kyle Nelson is making a comeback from thoracic outlet surgery which sidelined him for nearly the entire 2024 season. Entering his fourth year with the D-backs he could be a key arm in getting the club back to the postseason.

Since joining Arizona in 2022, he has pitched to a solid 3.47 ERA, with a 123 ERA+ over 103.2 IP. Nelson pitched only 10.2 innings in 2024, however, before having to be placed on the injured list. This was the longest injured stint of his career, and it was a scary time for the lefty.

"I've never missed a significant time really ever in my career. Obviously, I've never had surgery in my career, so those are two firsts for me," Nelson told Jack Sommers of Diamondbacks ON SI. Thoracic outlet surgery is a serious procedure, which the D-backs are quite familiar with at this point.

Fellow pitchers Ryan Thompson and Merrill Kelly have both also undergone the surgery, with both missing significant time in the 2021, and 2020 seasons respectively.

Now that Kyle Nelson is back in camp with Arizona, things are beginning to fall back into place. "The slider feels really good. Today was definitely a big step in the right direction with that. I found a little something at the back end of my first outing that I was happy to find," the lefty said.

"Just a little thumb adjustment, just finding a comfortable place on the ball. Obviously, it's been a long time, so you can naturally just get a little bit off with your grips when you're not doing them day after day."

Since his absence the Diamondbacks have added to their left-handed relief core, bringing in A.J. Puk at the trade deadline. This certainly adds a new dynamic to the club's bullpen, utilizing three different southpaw relievers when factoring in former All-Star Joe Mantiply into the mix.

This could make for not just a dynamic bullpen, but one which can pick matchups between the three lefties, giving manager Torey Lovullo a whole new tool to utilize. While Nelson likely wont see too many high leverage scenerios, having posted a 4.18 ERA across 56 innings in 2023, he should be a great piece at the front of the bullpen.

Nelson was asked about his confidence coming back from injury, and if it will need to be built back up through experience. "I'd say so, yeah,". He continued, "just continuing to build back the strength to build that confidence."

"I think in the first [spring outing], especially like it's the first time you play catch earlier in the day, and you sit for a while, like a true reliever, and then you get up and just hop on the mound. I think there was a little bit of like, 'am I going to be able to get myself back up that day?' But just making it through the outing comfortable, like waking up the next day and like, 'oh, I'm okay', was one of the biggest confidence boosts for me."

Nelson's progress is encouraging, and adds some much needed depth to the club's bullpen. While he isn't new to the team, his return nearly feels equivalent to a new acquisition, ready to join the team, and help the Diamondbacks reclaim the National League pennant.

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