When will Corbin Burnes, A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez return for Diamondbacks?
Corbin Burnes, Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk provided their return timelines, as the Arizona Diamondbacks started spring training on Tuesday.
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SCOTTSDALE — If it was up to Corbin Burnes, he would be back pitching for the Arizona Diamondbacks by late March.
“I tell them that every day, and they don’t think it’s funny at this point,” Burnes joked on Tuesday, as pitchers and catchers reported to spring training at Salt River Fields.
Burnes said he will be back on the mound throwing bullpens by the end of camp, still shooting for a mid-July return after he underwent Tommy John surgery in June.
“I’ve still got some avenues I think I can cut out some time and get back sooner, but that’s TBD,” Burnes said.
So far, everything with his rehab has gone as planned, but patience has been preached to him by those who have gone through it before, he said.
The Diamondbacks enter 2026 in the precarious position of having to wait for key contributors to return from long-term injuries they suffered in 2025, and Tuesday presented the opportunity to hear from their pitchers on what these timelines could look like.
A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez, Arizona’s back-end relievers, are operating on different schedules.
For Puk, early May sounds like an dream target, although he admitted coming back that soon seemed impossible. But the lefty is expected to return first out of that trio, potentially in the first half of the season.
“At the end of March I’ll start my bullpens and then you face live hitters and then you start your rehab assignment,” Puk said. “I just had the elbow brace, not the full on Tommy John, the new ligament. So it’ll be quicker than J-Mart and Burnes. I’m not sure when it’ll be, but that’ll be definitely be quicker (than July).”
Martinez is likely third in line, saying late August is the range he’s looking ahead to.
He started playing catch again in January after undergoing Tommy John surgery for the second time in his career last summer.
“ I would do what I can to come back earlier and come back stronger,” Martinez said. ”Could be earlier, Could be later. Depends. It would depend on how the team does by that time, I believe.”
Diamondbacks pitchers Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk share their expected timelines to return from the injured list. pic.twitter.com/RDlrCSrP8w
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) February 10, 2026
Martinez underwent Tommy John surgery for the first time in 2021, when he was a prospect about to turn 20 years old. He explained that having previous experience should help him mentally go through the process, although he admitted this one is going to take a bit longer. He went on the IL on June 12, 2021, and was activated July 22, 2022, last time.
The Diamondbacks made moves this offseason to fill in the gaps, bringing back starter Merrill Kelly and signing Michael Soroka to fill out the rotation.
In the bullpen, Arizona signed Taylor Clarke and sent infielder Blaze Alexander to Baltimore for reliever Kade Strowd. The D-backs also made a series of minor league signings for the bullpen, including veterans Jonathan Loaisiga and Derek Law, who will compete for roles. Adding third baseman Nolan Arenado and first baseman Carlos Santana to the defense is also expected to assist the pitching staff.
“Some of the acquisitions we got should be huge to hopefully keep the ship afloat until we can get myself and Puk and J-Mart and some of these guys back, (Lourdes Gurriel Jr.),” Burnes said. “It’s unfortunate we still got injuries we’re dealing with from last year, but we’re all on the mend and hopefully back soon.”
Diamondbacks return to spring training
Tuesday was the first day of pitchers and catchers reporting for spring training, and full squad workouts are scheduled for Sunday.
The first Cactus League game for the D-backs is on Feb. 20 against the Colorado Rockies.
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Comments
12 Comments
They'd better put their remaining resources into reviving a declining farm system or they won't be competitive in '27 either.....and good gawd figure out how to better protect arms!
All this fantasizing about second half, who knows if Burnes, Puk, and Martinez will be as effective.
Heavy doubt about the future....and lack of all but Lawler in the Top 100 prospects (alarming organizational situation). Hard to grasp how this organization was leading in developing young talent and is now failing.
Odd that Martinez would need Tommy John twice. Obviously his 100 mph velocity doesn't bode well for a long career.
D-Backs obvious goal is to hover around 500 to the All-Star break, then load up for the stretch run. Usually it only takes about ten games over 500 to make the playoffs. Burns and Puk can accomplish that.