PHOENIX — In a desperate hour for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Ryne Nelson is returning to a bullpen role despite his success as a starting pitcher.
Nelson learned on Friday he’d be headed back to the bullpen with veteran starter Eduardo Rodriguez nearing a return from the injured list, and he provided four shutout innings of relief in Arizona’s 11-7 loss to the Washington Nationals on Saturday.
With an ailing bullpen and surplus of starters, the Diamondbacks identified Nelson as someone who could help them by pitching in more games.
“There was a lot of discussion around it,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “The bullpen might be a piece or two short. We like the idea of injecting Nelly into some games that are gonna help us, maybe eight to 12 times a month instead of four times a month.
“Whether it’s a right or wrong decision, we’ll never know. We gotta get things together from a pitching standpoint, and we feel like he’s gonna give that bullpen a big boost.”
Torey Lovullo explains his decision to move Ryne Nelson back to the bullpen. pic.twitter.com/By7LyXQpmz
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) June 1, 2025
Nelson’s immediate future as a starter was already in question, considering he started the season in the bullpen but remained stretched out enough to fill in for a starter going down.
He made two starts filling in for Rodriguez (left shoulder inflammation), in which Nelson delivered 11.2 innings with one earned run.
Rodriguez tossed 4.2 innings and 73 pitches in the Arizona Complex League on Friday. What day he returns has yet to be announced.
Nelson remaining stretched out all year is no longer the plan. While the Diamondbacks would like to keep his length available in the immediate, eventually he will shortened up for higher leverage roles.
“We’re gonna still give him a little bit of lengthy outings, kind of decompress him a little bit,” Lovullo said. “Then ultimately, we’re gonna shorten him up. When that happens, there’s no timeline on that. We gotta figure out that game plan.”
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Nelson has rolled with the punches all year. In three starts, he owns a 1.69 ERA in 16 innings this year. He’s made 10 relief appearances, as well, ranging from lower-leverage innings eater to capping off the final two innings of a Corbin Burnes gem.
“It’s the job that’s been given to me and I’m gonna do my best to go out there and fight to get outs for this team and to put us in the win column,” Nelson said of the decision. “That’s what’s in front of me and I’m gonna just attack it with everything I got and take care of my body, take care of all my weekly work and just go out there and execute pitches.”
“He’s been great,” starter Brandon Pfaadt said. “Whatever spot they put him in, he’s willing to come in and do the job.”
The Diamondbacks enter June with a team ERA of 4.88 and a bullpen ERA of 5.40, which ranks 27th in MLB.
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