The Arizona Diamondbacks have lost ace starting pitcher Corbin Burnes for the rest of the season, as he will undergo Tommy John surgery after injuring his right elbow, manager Torey Lovullo told reporters on Friday.
The procedure will be done next week by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles.
Burnes, who signed the biggest free agent contract in Diamondbacks history over the offseason at six years and $210 million, exited Sunday’s game against the Washington Nationals with right elbow discomfort.
He underwent an MRI on Monday and visited ElAttrache, a renowned orthopedic surgeon, for another opinion.
The right-hander said after his last outing his elbow progressively felt tighter, that he did not feel any “pop.”
He explained having never felt anything like that before, as Burnes has very little experience with injuries altogether. He had not gone on the injured list with an injury since he suffered an oblique strain in 2020. Maintaining a strict routine and being durable have been significant elements to his success, which includes four All-Star nods and a Cy Young award.
Burnes was throwing the ball really well when he went down. He has a 2.66 ERA this season in 11 starts this year, and over his last seven outings he owns a 1.67 ERA.
“It stinks because I’ve been throwing the ball really well,” Burnes said after his last start. “The stuff was starting to really be where we wanted it to be. So obviously that’s tough, but we’ll see what happens.”
The Diamondbacks stretched their payroll to a record-high $196 million to sign Burnes and push their chips in for winning a World Series. On paper, the D-backs sported one of the deadliest starting staffs in MLB coming into the season.
With Burnes on the IL, the Diamondbacks have a starting five of Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Brandon Pfaadt, Eduardo Rodriguez and Ryne Nelson. Rodriguez has worked his way back from a shoulder issue, while Nelson re-enters the rotation after having been moved back to the bullpen.
Gallen is coming off a great start (7IP, 1 ER vs. Braves), that the D-backs will need more of as his season has been inconsistent. Kelly and Nelson have been consistently solid, while Pfaadt needs to break out of a two-game funk.
The Diamondbacks not only lost Burnes for this season, but his recovery and rehab could stretch well into the 2026 campaign, as well.
Arizona previously lost pitchers Jordan Montgomery and Blake Walston to Tommy John surgery for injuries sustained in spring training.
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