Diamondbacks’ Corbin Burnes suffers setback, plan to return this season in doubt

PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks ace pitcher Corbin Burnes had planned to return from Tommy John surgery by the All-Star break next month, but manager Torey Lovullo announced on Wednesday that the right-hander has had a setback.

Burnes suffered a teres major strain in his right lat, which will pull him off the mound for the foreseeable future. Burnes had started facing live hitters at Salt River Fields, but this latest development will put his plan of returning during the 2026 season in jeopardy.

Lovullo said the team will remain hopeful that Burnes could be back at some point in September, but he has to get healthy before they can understand what the adjusted timeline looks like.

“I had three big circles on my calendar,” Lovullo said, referring to Burnes and relievers A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez, all of whom had season-ending elbow surgeries last year.

“One is up in Reno rehabbing (Puk). The next one threw his fifth bullpen yesterday (Martinez) and then Corbin coming back at or near the All-Star break. Those were big. Those are big pieces for us. So it’s a blow.”

Burnes felt the tightness after his last appearance pitching to live hitters. He was scheduled to do so again on Tuesday before undergoing imaging.

The 31-year-old had been pushing to return before the All-Star break target that he laid out at the end of last season.

The Diamondbacks went into this season knowing that they had reinforcements coming, with a mission to stay competitive and improve as the season progressed. In the absence of those three pitchers, the Diamondbacks have performed well on the mound, with Eduardo Rodriguez and Michael Soroka as the rotation standouts.

But Burnes was a huge carrot to chase. He is a four-time All-Star and 2021 Cy Young winner brought in to headline the rotation only to go down after 11 starts with no longer any return date in sight.

Burnes underwent Tommy John surgery last June, the first major injury of his career. In 11 games, he pitched to a 2.66 ERA.

The D-backs signed Burnes to a six-year, $210 million deal after the 2024 season, the largest contract in franchise history. It includes an opt-out after this season.

These strains can vary based on severity, but as an example, Merrill Kelly suffered a teres major strain in 2024 and was on the injured list from April 20 to Aug. 11.

“It’s something that we’re gonna have to deal with,” Lovullo said. “It’s just what we do in this game. And we’ve got very qualified players in that clubhouse that are gonna get some opportunities. We got five really good starting pitchers right now. And they’re doing a good job. I want that to continue.”

Rodriguez has pitched to a 2.24 ERA thus far, while Soroka owns a 3.49 ERA. Ryne Nelson and Kelly have trended in a positive direction after rough April performances, while Zac Gallen is looking to get back on track after a poor May.

The depth behind that quintet is murky, especially with Cristian Mena set to undergo shoulder surgery.

A.J. Puk update

Puk threw a scoreless inning on Tuesday in his rehab assignment with the Triple-A Reno Aces.

Lovullo said he spoke to Puk over the phone on Wednesday, and that the left-hander felt good about his outing. The plan is for Puk to throw again on Friday.

Outfielder Jordan Lawlar (wrist), meanwhile, will head to Reno to start his rehab assignment, possibly as soon as Thursday.

Tyler Drake contributed to this story.

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