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Diamondbacks Shut down Starting Pitcher Before Opening Day

March 26, 2024


The Arizona Diamondbacks will put starting pitcher Eduardo Rodríguez on the Injured List ahead of Opening Day. Rodríguez has a lat strain, that will cause him to miss the beginning of the season.

The Arizona Diamondbacks confirmed the lat tightness on X, which resulted in Rodríguez being pulled from a Cactus League game on March 19.

The Diamondbacks signed the veteran pitcher to a four-year, $80 million deal last December after they lost to the Texas Rangers in the World Series. Rodríguez previously played for the Detroit Tigers for the last two seasons and with the Boston Red Sox from 2015 to 2021.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo confirmed the injury and addressed the injury Friday.

“He’s going to be shut down from throwing until he’s asymptomatic,” Lovullo said, via Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. “I know you guys want to know lengths of time, all the common questions that I want to know, but we don’t know that. It’s going to depend on how he progresses and how he’s feeling day by day. We’re going to assess it daily and build it out from there.”

Rodríguez is optimistic because his injury is not serious, and believes he will return soon.

Torey Lovullo
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – JUNE 14: Manager Torey Lovullo #17 of the Arizona Diamondbacks looks on from the dugout during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Chase Field on June 14, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona….


Norm Hall/Getty Images

“I don’t feel the way that it showed,” Rodríguez said, via Gilbert. “I know this isn’t gonna be too long. I just feel like it was a little tightness in there, but I feel great today. I know I’m going to be back faster than we think.”

Still, there is not an exact timeline for Rodríguez’s return. In the meantime, the Diamondbacks will get ready for Opening Day, when they host the Colorado Rockies on Thursday.

Rodríguez could theoretically come back quicker than expected, but there is no need for the team to rush him into opening day when there is a lot of baseball to play. The Diamondbacks also paid quite a lot of money for Rodríguez to be their starter, so his overall health is a bit more paramount to the success of the season.

The team still has a good rotation of Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Brandon Pfaadt, Tommy Henry, and Ryne Nelson. These are all viable options to hold things down until Rodríguez can return from his injury.

Once healthy, Rodríguez is expected to add another quality starter to the Diamondbacks bullpen. Rodríguez has a 4.03 career ERA and is coming off a 3.30 ERA in 2023.