Latest decision on Ryne Nelson, Jordan Montgomery rotation spot keeps flexibility

PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks have decided to wait as long as they possibly can to decide what to do with the fifth rotation spot.

Jordan Montgomery will make his regularly-scheduled start against the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday. The Diamondbacks informed Ryne Nelson to be ready to go out of the bullpen.

However, if Nelson is not needed in relief, the plan is to start him on Friday at the Tampa Bay Rays, Arizona’s next game after Thursday’s off day, manager Torey Lovullo said.

Lovullo has made it clear that the Diamondbacks do not want to use a six-man rotation. With off days mixed in, it sits down Arizona’s top starters too long between outings.

However, they could roll with the six for one turn, as this decision has become difficult.

When asked if Montgomery moving to the bullpen has been discussed, Lovullo said they have talked about “every aspect of what we could possibly do.”

“We’re very fluid in that in that space, he will be ready to pitch Wednesday if needed, but we haven’t made that decision yet,” Lovullo said. “Depends on how we get there, depends on what happens over the next two days. With an off day and a fully gassed up bullpen, it doesn’t make sense to have length in the bullpen. He’s going to give us a little protection until we make this decision.”

The Diamondbacks spent big money for one of the most formidable starting fives on paper at the start of the season with Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Pfaadt and Montgomery. They signed Rodriguez and Montgomery as big-ticket free agents for a combined $45 million for 2024.

That quintet had not been complete all season until Sunday, when Kelly made his return from the 60-day injured list. There was a stretch when Pfaadt was the only healthy pitcher of that group.

Nelson filled in admirably, leading the Diamondbacks’ pitchers in innings (77.1), strikeouts (64) and fWAR (1.7) since the start of June. He is tied for sixth in MLB in innings since June 1. Through 13 outings in that span, Nelson has a 3.72 ERA.

He also has experience in the bullpen, something Montgomery — who is not sharing the same success on the mound with 0.5 fWAR this season — does not.

Nelson was a reliever in college at Oregon — also a shortstop — and closed 10 games. Last season, he was a long reliever during the postseason when the D-backs cut down their rotation — even using bullpen games over Nelson starts.

Montgomery was a starter in college, through the minors and into the majors. He came to Arizona with a career 3.68 ERA, and he has produced a 6.37 ERA thus far in 17 starts.

“We got a lot better when Merrill came back, so I think the team’s getting better,” Nelson said. “So that’s the number one thing, whatever it takes to go out there and win ballgames. I think this is a really special team, and I love being on this team and being a part of it.”

“We’ve got to make sure we have coverage in every area so we feel comfortable we’re going to be able to win a game in every way we need to,” Lovullo said.

Nelson does not seem interested in being the cleanup man in blowouts. His most notable major league relief appearance came during the World Series when the D-backs were already in a deep hole. He threw 5.1 innings with one earned run to save the rest of the bullpen.

If he gets placed in the pen, Nelson wants a chance to prove himself.

“I don’t want to just be a guy who throws the innings when the game is out of hand,” Nelson said. “If I am in the bullpen, I would like to have some big innings and be able to contribute to win games … be an asset.”

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