Diamondbacks holding out hope Merrill Kelly can avoid IL, Cristian Mena pulled back with injury

SCOTTSDALE — Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly was back on the agility field playing catch on Thursday, and if he can get into his throwing progression “sooner than later,” there is some hope he could avoid the injured list, manager Torey Lovullo said on Thursday.

There is, however, no set date for Kelly to resume his progression until he becomes asymptomatic, Lovullo said.

Kelly was ruled out for his Opening Day start with intercostal nerve irritation in his back, and the Diamondbacks will have to select a new pitcher to take the ball when the season starts.

“We can build it backwards, so we feel like, given the progress he’s made and the evaluation that was done by a lot of really good people, that if we start the progression sooner than later, he might be on the back end of our rotation,” Lovullo said. “So, that’s what we’re gonna hold out hope for, but anything’s possible.”

If Kelly starts on the IL, it would have to be the 15-day IL, keeping him out for the opening series at Dodger Stadium and first homestand of the year. He’d be eligible to return during Arizona’s nine-game road trip (New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Orioles).

Kelly said on Wednesday that most of his throws during catch felt normal, but there were a few where he experienced that tightness again.

He told the Foul Territory podcast that his first game was supposed to be on Friday.

Arizona has some pitching depth in camp in case Kelly misses time, including Zac Gallen, Ryne Nelson, Eduardo Rodriguez, Michael Soroka and Brandon Pfaadt. Speaking of the latter …

Diamondbacks’ Brandon Pfaadt being ‘slow-played’

Pfaadt threw a live batting practice session on the backfields Thursday afternoon, as he has yet to make his Cactus League debut this spring.

Lovullo said the reason why is that he is being “slow-played” following a “side” issue he dealt with this offseason. Lovullo assured that Pfaadt was asymptomatic when camp began and should be ready to go for the regular season, but the club wanted to take it slow at first.

“We’re trying to be mindful of what he’s gone through. He’s gonna be available and built up just fine,” Lovullo said. “Everything’s right exactly where we want it to be.

“I think we put him on pause for about a week to let him rest. Does that have an impact on anything? I don’t think so.”

Pfaadt has been a workhorse for the Diamondbacks with 358.1 innings over the past two seasons, which ranks 10th in Major League Baseball.

Soroka, Gallen and Rodriguez have pitched in Cactus League games, while Nelson will take the mound on Friday.

Cristian Mena pulled back

The Diamondbacks’ “dark day” in Cincinnati last year continues to haunt them. In the rain, catcher Gabriel Moreno suffered a broken wrist on a skipping wild pitch, while pitcher Cristian Mena strained his teres major (shoulder) and was lost for the season.

Mena has re-aggravated the injury after entering camp healthy, Lovullo said. He had imaging done on Wednesday, and surgery is not on the table at this point.

“We’ve been talking to him about his health and his bullpens, we’ve been slow-playing that,” Lovullo said. “We are going to pull him totally back on all drills, all throwing programs and let him rest.”

The 23-year-old represented starting pitching depth for the Diamondbacks, and he was likely to start in Triple-A Reno. He’s made four MLB appearances thus far.

Kohl Drake, Dylan Ray and Mitch Bratt are young starters on the 40-man roster.

Related

Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly ruled out for Opening Day vs. DodgersDiamondbacks' Ryan Waldschmidt shares lesson from Double-A helping in 1st big-league campBusiness as usual: Zac Gallen re-debuts for Diamondbacks in spring trainingDiamondbacks win season series vs. Dodgers for 1st time since 2018Reports: Diamondbacks adding pitcher Zack LittellDiamondbacks keep winning while best players are slumping. When will Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte get hot?