PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks starter Corbin Burnes received a cortisone shot for the first time in his career to address his right shoulder inflammation on Friday, he said on Tuesday.
Burnes admitted to being in some unfamiliar territory after missing his start on Monday, claiming that was the first time he missed his turn in the rotation since early 2021 with the Milwaukee Brewers.
“We’re doing better,” Burnes said pregame on Tuesday. “One of those things I’ve been throwing through the last three starts.
“Kind of naggy, achy that just wouldn’t go away and got worse once we got 60, 65 pitches in,” Burnes added. “The right call was to get over the hump now instead of being effective for three or four innings and then trying to grind through the last couple. I’d like to be effective for six or seven.”
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Burnes underwent an MRI, and he said there’s nothing more to it than inflammation.
The right-hander has continued his throwing program this week and will throw a bullpen on Wednesday. If all goes well, he still tracks for Saturday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
From 2022-24, Burnes ranked top five in Major League Baseball for both starts and innings pitched. He was very clear when he signed his six-year, $210 million deal with Arizona how important health and durability were to him. And the meticulous routine he’s stuck to for years has helped him become as reliable as any pitcher over the past half-decade.
Taking a game off was difficult for Burnes personally. He said he could have pushed through it but called the decision to hold back the right move.
“Did it suck that I didn’t get to pitch yesterday? Yes,” Burnes said. “I’ve got more value to the team skipping a start and making sure I’m healthy for the rest of the year than continuing to push through and have something pop up or we miss two or three months.”
“He was a little reluctant,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “He was like, ‘I want to pitch, but I know if I don’t take care of this, there’s a chance it could linger and I don’t want anything to linger.’ … So we devised a plan and we’re sticking with that plan, and he bought into that. He wants the baseball. That’s who he is.”
Burnes described past shoulder fatigue that has popped up during spring trainings throughout his career.
He said he got through this past spring ramp-up without any of those issues.
“I don’t know if it was just a delayed effect that we got it,” Burnes said. “And usually in spring training it takes a week or so to get through it with some extra stretching and strengthening. Obviously the workloads are a lot different in spring training than they are in season … skipping the start yesterday and just getting a couple extra days has been good for it.”
Burnes has made six starts for the Diamondbacks, pitching to a 3.58 ERA in 32.2 innings.
His 20% strikeout rate and 12.1% walk rate are both at career-worst marks, as he has not pitched quite as sharply as he’s accustomed to. Even without his best stuff, Burnes has allowed two or fewer earned runs in four of six starts.
The Diamondbacks were able to lean on Ryne Nelson for 4.1 innings in Burnes’ place on Monday, as Nelson has remained stretched out in a long relief role.
Arizona’s rotation has otherwise remained relatively healthy since Opening Day — save for Merrill Kelly’s cramping issues — while the bullpen has dealt with key injuries to A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez.
The Diamondbacks continue their series against the New York Mets on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. Tune to 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app.
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