Recent Tommy John surgeries under D-backs GM Mike Hazen

Injuries have plagued the Arizona Diamondbacks from filling their fifth starter void in the rotation.

Recently, pitchers Jon Duplantier and Taylor Clarke were both placed on the injured list after filling in for a struggling Zack Godley and an injured Luke Weaver.

Godley was moved to the bullpen after having an 8.08 ERA in nine games started this year.

Weaver, who was acquired in the Paul Goldschmidt trade, was making an immediate impact as the third starter.

However, in May he was diagnosed with a right UCL injury but avoided surgery after getting several opinions from doctors around the country. Weaver was 4-3 in 11 starts with a 3.03 ERA before going down with the injury.

The D-backs haven’t had a solid fifth starter in the rotation for more than brief periods since GM Mike Hazen took over.

Former D-backs pitcher Shelby Miller was expected to attribute to the starting rotation, but he only made four starts after Tommy John surgery in 2017, before going down with an elbow injury in the middle of 2018.

Pitcher Rubby De La Rosa also looked like he was going to be a fourth or fifth starter for the D-backs, but a nagging elbow injury kept him from doing so and that eventually led to Tommy John surgery in 2017.

Last year right-hander Taijuan Walker went down once he had Tommy John surgery in April. He has not pitched since and might return late this year or even 2020.

Finding the fifth starter has not been easy for Hazen and recent long-term absences such as Walker have made it difficult.

Here is a list of pitchers that have received Tommy John surgery since the 2017 season when Hazen and manager Torey Luvollo joined Arizona.

Taijuan Walker

This is perhaps the most impactful player to go down with Tommy John surgery on the team. During the 2016 offseason, Walker and infielder Ketel Marte were included in a trade that sent right fielder Mitch Haniger, infielder Jean Segura and pitcher Zac Curtis to the Seattle Mariners.

Walker had a solid year in 2017 after going 9-9 with a 3.49 ERA in 28 starts.

In just his fourth appearance in 2018, he left a game against the Colorado Rockies after experiencing tightness in his right forearm. It was revealed he had a partial tear in his UCL and required Tommy John surgery to repair it.

Walker was expected to come back in the middle of 2019, however, he suffered a setback in his rehabilitation straining his right capsule. He could return toward the end of the 2019 season.

Silvino Bracho

Back in March, Bracho left a spring training game after feeling discomfort in his elbow. Days later, he was diagnosed with a UCL tear and underwent Tommy John surgery. Bracho has a 4.67 ERA and 93 strikeouts in 88.2 innings pitched since being called up in 2015.

In 2018, he had a solid year in relief posting a 3.19 ERA in 31 innings after being called up and down from Reno. He is expected to return to pitching in 2020.

Shelby Miller

In 2015, Former GM Dave Stewart made a trade to acquire Miller in exchange for outfielder Ender Inciarte, 2015 No. 1 overall pick and shortstop Dansby Swanson and pitcher Aaron Blair. It looked like a lopsided trade then, but Miller was coming off a season in which he went 6-17 with a 3.02 ERA and 171 strikeouts after starting 33 games.

Things quickly fell apart in 2016 after Miller went 3-12 with a 6.15 ERA in just 20 starts. Miller began the 2017 season with promise he would turn things around but left a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in April after feeling tightness in his elbow. Days later Miller made the decision to have Tommy John surgery on his elbow.

He made his return 14 months later in a game versus the Miami Marlins in June 2018.

However, it wasn’t long until Miller would injure his elbow again after making only four starts coming off his long recovery. Miller was later placed on the 60-day IL and wouldn’t make another appearance in a D-backs uniform.

He left in free agency and signed with the Texas Rangers in January. He was released by the Rangers on July 4 after a dismal season posting an 8.59 ERA in 44 innings pitched this season.

Rubby De La Rosa

De La Rosa was brought over in a trade that sent Wade Miley to the Boston Red Sox in 2014. He looked like a promising starting pitcher for the D-backs.

He started 32 games in 2015 going 14-9 with a 4.67 ERA.

However, injuries continued to set him back from ever landing a consistent role with the team.

In May 2016, De La Rosa went down with a UCL sprain and was out for a few months.

He was reactivated in September but only completed one start before being shut down for the rest of the season with the same UCL injury.

During that offseason, De La Rosa received stem cell treatment in an effort to avoid surgery.

He was called up in July 2017 but quickly went on the injured list after just six appearances with shoulder inflammation. He was activated again in late July.

Just three appearances later, the team announced in August that he would need to undergo Tommy John surgery. He previously had Tommy John surgery in 2011 when he was with the Dodgers.

De La Rosa did not make another major league appearance with the team. He had been pitching in relief for Reno this season before the D-backs released him on June 24.