Corbin Burnes placed on IL, D-backs call up Tommy Henry

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Corbin Burnes will be placed on the 15-day IL after being pulled from Sunday’s game against the Nationals due to right elbow discomfort, Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro first reported.

Burnes underwent an MRI on Monday and will get a second opinion about his elbow injury later in the week. The righty will meet with surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles this week, according to D-backs reporter Jody Jackson.

His move to the injured list is retroactive to Monday, the team said in its official release.

Arizona recalled starting minor league pitcher Tommy Henry from Triple-A to use him in a reliever role, while Ryne Nelson will slide back into the rotation, Gambadoro adds.

Henry has a 7.39 ERA and 1.66 WHIP with Reno.

Burnes has been lethal from the mound since missing a start in early May due to right shoulder inflammation with a 1.71 ERA. It was his first missed start since moving into a full-time rotation role in 2020.

Despite the 3-1 win against the Nationals, all focus was on Burnes, who exited the game in the fifth inning after only throwing 70 pitches.

Burnes started the night with 4.2 scoreless innings, but nagging elbow tightness forced him out of the game.

“Just got to the point where the tightness was just too much,” Burnes said. “Didn’t feel like we needed to push any farther. Hopefully, we caught it early. Hopefully it’s not bad, but we’ll see.”

D-backs starting pitcher Corbin Burnes on how he felt before exiting early against the Nationals on Sunday:

"Just got to the point where the tightness was too much" pic.twitter.com/gKcDwmyeWD

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) June 1, 2025

Manager Torey Lovullo told reporters that Burnes stayed back in Phoenix for an MRI while the team hit the road for the upcoming road trip against the Atlanta Braves that starts at 4:15 p.m. MST Tuesday.

Burnes has quickly become one of the Diamondbacks’ most integral pieces after signing a six-year contract worth $210 million last winter in hopes of bolstering the already strong rotation with proven pitchers such as Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen.

Corbin Burnes’ 1st D-backs season to this point

Burnes started his Diamondbacks campaign on a streaky note, giving up multiple runs in each of his first three starts, but he has quickly turned it around.

In his five starts since returning from his shoulder issue, he has thrown 31.2 innings while only giving up six earned runs for an ERA of 1.71.

“It stinks because I’ve been throwing the ball really well,” Burnes said. “It felt like it was starting to get really good, too, especially those first couple innings (Sunday). The stuff was starting to really be where we wanted it to be. So obviously that’s tough, but we’ll see what happens.”

In Burnes’ absence, the Diamondbacks are set to get Eduardo Rodriguez back off the IL during the upcoming series against the Reds.

The team also called up Cristian Mena from Triple-A Reno on Sunday and has Nelson stretched out with three recent starts, filling in for Rodriguez.

“We are in a very fluid situation right now, so it’s gonna involve Mena and (Nelson), for sure,” Lovullo said.

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