Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Corbin Burnes was removed from his start Sunday vs. the Washington Nationals after reporting right elbow discomfort.
Manager Torey Lovullo confirmed to reporters that Burnes was slated to undergo an MRI on Monday to reveal the extent of the injury. The 30 year old gestured towards the dugout in the top of the 5th inning and yelled out in frustration.
“It just got to the point where the tightness was just too much…didn’t feel like we needed to push any farther. Hopefully we caught it early, hopefully it’s not bad, but we’ll see,” Burnes told reporters.
The Bakersfield, CA native has made at least 28 starts in every season since he won the 2021 Cy Young Award, so durability certainly hasn’t been an issue for the righty. Across 59.2IP this year, Burnes has posted a 3-2 record with a 2.72 ERA and 57 Ks, in the first year of his 6 year $210M contract with Arizona.
The D-Backs are already thin on starting pitching as Jordan Montgomery is out for the year due to Tommy John surgery, while Eduardo Rodriguez is on the injured list due to shoulder issues. So if Burnes were to be out for an extended period of time, that would stretch the club’s rotation even thinner still.
In all likelihood, Burnes will be placed on the 15-Day IL as a precaution, which may bring Ryne Nelson back into a starting role for the club.
Up next for the D-Backs is a 7:15pm ET showdown on Tuesday with the Atlanta Braves.
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