Arizona Diamondbacks manager Gibson: Plan is to get Trevor Cahill back into the rotation

Back in mid-April the Arizona Diamondbacks decided to send Trevor Cahill to the bullpen.

The right-hander had struggled mightily in the early parts of the season, posting a 0-4 record with a 9.17 ERA in four starts.

The numbers have been better out of the ‘pen, with the 26-year-old appearing in 15 games and posting a 1-2 record with a 3.04 ERA in 23.2 innings of work.

But in his last two appearances Cahill has allowed three runs on six hits with two walks, which in part has led to D-backs skipper Kirk Gibson deciding it’s time to get the former All-Star back into the rotation.

“He’s kind of our long guy and he’s been pitching when we’ve been behind,” Gibson told Burns and Gambo on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Monday. “We’re going to have a discussion, but really we’d like to get him back in the starting rotation somehow.

“We’re going to have to figure out a way to do that and get him lengthened out.”

Gibson said he believes Cahill is a starting pitcher and that’s the role that suits him best, and while the pitcher has failed to live up to the expectations placed on him after being acquired prior to the 2012 season, there’s no doubt the team would be better off if he could regain his form.

Though he hasn’t been great as a Diamondback, Cahill did post sub-4.00 ERAs in his first two seasons with the team, and in 2010 was an 18-game winner with a 2.97 ERA.

The pitcher’s stuff has never really been a question, but the organization has yet to figure out how to harness it.

So Gibson and the team would prefer to find a way to make it work as a starter since they feel it hasn’t with him as a reliever, though the manager disagreed with the notion that this may be some kind of a “last ditch” attempt to get something out of the pitcher.

“We talk about everybody; we try to get everybody as productive as they can be to make a contribution, and Trevor’s no different,” he said.

As for when Cahill might get his next start, Gibson said it was a “tricky deal” that needs to be figured out.

The D-backs don’t currently have an open spot in the rotation, with Wade Miley, Josh Collmenter, Chase Anderson, Bronson Arroyo and Brandon McCarthy all healthy and pitching every fifth day.

So while the D-backs may have plans on getting Cahill back in the rotation, they’ll have some decisions to make if it’s actually going to happen.

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