Diamondbacks don’t plan to option Ryne Nelson, use 6-man rotation with Merrill Kelly back

PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo was clear the club has not considered optioning starter Ryne Nelson to the minor leagues with Merrill Kelly set to return to the rotation on Sunday.

Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez have made it back from extended injured list stints, and the D-backs’ desired rotation back in March of Zac Gallen, Kelly, Rodriguez, Brandon Pfaadt and Jordan Montgomery is now a reality.

However, Nelson has done all he can to crack the starting five. Montgomery signed a $25 million contract with the pedigree as a veteran dependable starter. Nelson, however, has been the more effective starter this season.

On Friday, Lovullo said the club eliminated the idea of a six-man rotation, providing some clarity while plenty of questions remain for what comes next. Lovullo has not revealed what Nelson’s role will be going forward or whether he would make his next start.

“That (six-man rotation) conversation has been had for about the last hour in my office,” Lovullo said on Friday. “We want to let it play out as far as they can play out before we have to make that decision. When you get to that point, and you’re making tough decisions like that, you got a lot of depth.

“… I think that might be one thing we eliminated today.”

Assistant general manager Mike Fitzgerald told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Thursday the club has not “loved six-man rotation setups in the past.”

“We’re going to try to be creative and make sure we have the 13 best guys pitching for us,” Fitzgerald said.

Nelson threw 7.1 innings with two earned runs and nine strikeouts on Friday, outdueling Phillies All-Star ace Zack Wheeler in a 3-2 win.

Since the start of June — 13 games — Nelson has a 3.72 ERA and 3.30 FIP. The D-backs have won 10 of the 13 games. He has solidified himself as one of the 13 pitchers Arizona will count on down the stretch of this pennant race.

Is he is a better fit in the bullpen with Montgomery in the rotation than vice versa considering Nelson has been there before, notably in the World Series last fall? Montgomery has made three relief appearances, including the postseason, since 2017.

Montgomery is a World Series champion and had been a dependable option for years, but this has been what he has called the toughest season of his career. He has a 6.37 ERA (4.60 FIP), and Arizona is 5-5 in his last 10 outings.

Lovullo told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo last week the club had not discussed moving him to the bullpen at that point, although more conversations have taken place since.

Montgomery has a $20 million player option for 2025 that vests to $22.5 million with one more start and increases to $25 million if he makes six more starts this year. There has been some encouragement over his last two outings from the club, as well.

The Diamondbacks entered Saturday in the second wild card spot and only 3.5 games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the division.

“I say every time we get into this territory and have to make these tough decisions, it means we’re a good organization,” Lovullo said on Friday. “We have been trying to figure out how to make the decision that’s going to help us win as many games as possible. That’s the bottom line. We’re getting ready to start the second, third week of August. It’s go time.”

Decision time is here, and Nelson’s stellar last start makes it that much tougher to keep the status quo five that the club envisioned.

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