Corbin Burnes made an early exit from the Diamondbacks’ 3-1 win over the Nationals due to what was described by manager Torey Lovullo as right elbow discomfort. The right-hander had sailed through 4 2/3 shutout innings before allowing a two-out single to CJ Abrams in the top of the fifth, and a clearly upset Burnes then immediately motioned to the home dugout for a quick consultation with team trainers.
Post-game, Lovullo told reporters (including Arizona Sports) that Burnes will get an MRI tomorrow, and won’t join the Diamondbacks on their upcoming road trip to Atlanta and Cincinnati. The pitcher himself also described his health situation to the media, saying his elbow started to gradually tighten up during the outing.
“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 said.
More details will be known in the aftermath of the MRI, though it seems like Burnes will probably be placed on the 15-day injured list at least as a precaution. This would be the first arm-related IL stint of Burnes’ durable career, as his two previous IL trips were due to Covid-19 (in 2021) and an oblique strain late in the 2020 season that kept him out of the Brewers’ brief playoff run.
After signing a six-year, $210MM free agent deal with his local team this past offseason, Burnes has mostly looked the part of a frontline ace in posting a 2.66 ERA over 64 1/3 innings. However, his secondary metrics tell another story, as Burnes entered today’s start with a more modest 3.99 SIERA. Burnes’ hard-hit ball rate and walk rate are both well below the league average, let alone the strong numbers in both categories that Burnes had posted over his previous seven Major League seasons. Burnes’ whiff rate remains above the league average but also down from his 2024 total.
The right-hander’s signature cutter has been among the best pitches in baseball over the last few years, but Statcast’s Run Value metric indicates that the cutter has gone from a +17 in 2024 to only a +2 in 2025 since batters have been able to square up on the pitch with far more regularity. Both Burnes’ cutter (95.3mph to 94.2mph) and his sinker (97mph to 95.6mph) have lost some velocity from last season to this campaign.
Even with these red flags, the bottom-line results have still been there for Burnes, and he has still been the most consistent member of Arizona’s underwhelming rotation. MLBTR’s Anthony Franco recently explored how the Diamondbacks’ pitching staff is again struggling, and undermining the efforts of the team’s powerful lineup. Today’s win bumped the Snakes up to only a 28-31 record, and they are five games behind the Giants for both third place in the NL West and the final NL wild card slot.
Losing Burnes even for a fairly minimal amount of time would severely hamper the Diamondbacks’ chances of making up that ground, let alone making a late run at the Dodgers at the top of the division. Eduardo Rodriguez is expected to return from the 15-day IL this coming week after a mid-May placement due to shoulder inflammation, but if Burnes is also sidelined, Ryne Nelson (who was headed to the bullpen due to E-Rod’s return) will likely be reinserted back into the starting five.
Zoinks!
Hopefully he’ll be alright. Good luck Burnsie!
Signed for big money Jordan Montgomery, Eduardo Rodriguez and Corbin Burnes. In a division with no margin for error, team is snake-bit.
At least they are done paying Bumgarner, I believe.
They thought how lucky they were when they signed each one. Actually, it couldn’t happen to a better owner. hahaha
The dang Dodgers are ruining pitchers again.
Dodgers so dumb the guy they just traded for is now on the IL.
@Smacky The 13th rd pick they traded is on MiLB IL. Diaz is on his way to AAA OKC.
Ruh roh Raggy…
Mark Prior strikes again….
Boo-urnes.
Dunno what’s up with the Scooby comments, this is about Burnes, not Skubal Dubal Doo
Zoiks!
And I would’ve gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for you meddling kids!
Toby Wallace is that you?
Manfred is destroying MLB.
While I am no Manfred fan, can you provide some context on why you posted this to this story? You think it’s the pitch clock causing all these injuries.
I get how you could think that but I disagree. Starters pitched at this pace or faster for generations – these injuries are coming from teams demanding max effort on every pitch, the constant quest for more velocity and higher spin rates and the rapid introduction of new pitches, like sweepers, splitters and jump changes.
Elbow discomfort >>>> flexor strain >>>> TJ surgery. See you in 2027! But at least he’s signed for 5 more years so they can get some return on investment. Someday. LOL.
Yep – where’s all those people that rip teams for not offering long-term deals to starters. It’s just not worth the risk. There will never be another 300 game winner and it looks like no pitcher under 35 will ever win 200.
The problem is the alternative is having two SPs and finishing at the bottom of your division. There’s a limited supply of ML caliber pitchers so if you want to win you take risks and spend money.
This is where your scouting department earns their pay. It may be risky, but sometimes a frontline starter is exactly what your team needs to take that next step, or to continue chasing that title…
Yup like I said before the Brewers lab made Burnes and that he can’t figure things out on his own. But yet he thought he was too good for them. Burnes, Hader, Adames, and Counsel all chased the money and were head cases. Once they get the money they come back to earth because they got no edge now.
Counsel is in first place
Yup he is until a player gets in his doghouse because he doesn’t like how he combs his hair. I have watched that man hold more guys back or ruin their careers because of favoritism or his pouting.
Hader was traded.
Yup and Hader was a head case too. He couldn’t cut it as a starter so the Brewers made him a closer, so then in year three he said he would only do 3 out saves even in the playoffs when his team needed him. I’m all for getting there money but they gotta appreciate what teams did for them and taught them too.
Burnes was traded.
Yup Burnes was but he struggled greatly when he came up but the Brewers also got him in the lab to help him along with helping him how to manage his mental health. Signs big contract then says no at an early start for Diamondbacks because it doesn’t fit into his schedule.
Counsell is leading the division leading cubs right now with many pitching problems, burnes was pitching well after leaving
Hader is just really up and down when it comes to his control but is still a strong closer and adames can’t hit well in San Francisco
Leading a horrible division on June 1, big deal. Let’s see how many cub hitters continue to hit way over there head for 162.
Hop off cubs haterade I don’t know what they did to you
Like what was already said, half those names were traded, so that’s already just plain wrong. But even for Adames, why should he surrender millions of dollars just to stay with them? It’s a fun story to think about, but compared to what the Brewers are able to offer, I can’t get mad at someone for going elsewhere.
Didn’t you know, players are only head cases if they leave the Brewers! The dozens upon dozens of other players that change teams every offseason are in the clear though.
People really act like if they were in the same situation, they wouldn’t sign for the most money on the table. There’s no problem or shame in that either. Set youself and your future generations up for opportunity.
Do not give long term deals to pitchers.
That is the moral of story. Original team gets the reasonable pay years in prime…..FA signing team gets to pay a fortune for rehab and diminished version post-rehab due to age. Kudos to clubs like Tampa/Milw/Clev that can develop arms & trade them before wheels fall off.
MLB is a business and by FA years these players have name recognition. Pro sports are driven by the athletes and those with name recognition put a face on these brands(franchises).
Obviously it would be ideal if these players were never injured, however reality it is many will be hurt at various times. These teams keep increasing revenue and profits, so it’s clearly sustainable.
It’s obviously a big-market issue, but the alternative to not signing pitching is to do without pitching. Developing top-tier SPs with low-round picks is very difficult. Developing 5 SPs is difficult.
How about signing lesser name free agentst and improving them like the NYMets!
It’s now sort of similar to running backs in the NFL
RBs do jot have nearly the impact a SP has. The NFL has also transitioned to a pass heavy game. MLB has yet to transition away from pitching(aside from the gimmick ghost runner in extra innings….).
Even if you’re not a Dback fan this sucks. The game is worse without Burnes on the hill. I wish there was a solution to all the arm injuries but alas more velocity and higher spin rates will undoubtedly lead to even more IL stints and procedures.
There is a solution: Penalize teams with too many 60-day IL placements (and especially 60-day placements for the same player in consecutive years) when it comes to the draft and the CBT levels, and don’t let a team non-tender a player when they are not expected to return the following season before June 15.
The MLBPA has a responsibility to advocate for changes to improve player health and safety.
What a dumb take…Do you think teams actually want to put their $200 million ace on the 60-day IL?
How on earth does the MLB suddenly (and psychotically) penalizing injuries somehow magically improve the health and durability of pitchers?
Teams are obviously willing to risk it, trying to get every extra 500 rpm of spin rate. The $200M pitcher isn’t affected. It’s guys like former Cub Adbert Alzolay who got non-tendered and had to accept a minor league deal.
Limit teams to 5 concurrent placements on the 60-day where they get to remove the player temporarily from the 40-man. Exceed a threshold and you lose a lower draft pick like a 4th rounder.
The teams don’t NEED to extract all this spin rate, they WANT to. And again, I believe that MLBPA has a responsibility to insist on improving player health, including taking steps to reduce elbow and shoulder injuries.
This is in no way just the fault of the teams. The players are chasing fame and fortune as well. Do u think the teams are going to be able to just tell these guys dial it back and they will comply?? Not a chance 99.99% of them will keep pushing it to try and maximize earnings, prolong their careers, or simply just make a MLB roster.
The biggest issue is the technology and ability to track these things. Now teams and players are getting what was once incomprehensible data on every pitch they throw. This just further fuels the drive to push harder.
Many people used to say using a radar gun with kids was a horrible idea, as it would just motivate them to push limits. That’s the same concept excepted magnified exponentially.
So no teams should not be responsible for anything other than medical coverage for injuries while these pitchers were employed as is required by federal law. They also should and are required to fulfill any and all contractual obligations. After that they are not nor should be required anything else. These players are not forced to play that position or the sport in any capacity. They are also compensated quite well even on a minimum MLB contract. If they view it as too much of a risk there are countless people behind them waiting for an opportunity.
The players are throwing it and know the risks. Is there some sort of team mind control going on ? A body remote control ? No. The player has total control over what he does when pitching. They chase the high numbers and run the risk for fame and fortune. Teams just help them because they also want them to succeed.
The solution is to reward player health with significant financial incentives.
So, if a team doesn’t have a spot on the 60-day, then pitchers won’t get hurt?
Maybe we should shut down our hospitals so that people won’t get sick.
I thought the Diamondbacks would have one of the top rotations in baseball going into the season. So far, it is not working out that way. If Burnes goes down for the year, that might be their cue to punt on the season and retool for next year.
Can’t. This was their year. This off-season they lose Gallen and Kelly from their rotation and can’t replace them as they’re already $20m over their record payroll, and have very little pitching in their system. They’re screwed. The margin of error for a mid payroll team spending at their limits is paper thin.
Retooling would mean trading Gallen and Kelly at the deadline.
There is all ready talk that the Yankees want a another starting pitcher and a 3rd or 2nd baseman, and guess who is said to be listening to there offer your right if you said the D’Backs. It could be a Gallen/Suarez deal. Also heard that AZ would really like to keep Kelly if he would agree to a 2 to 3 yr deal.
Gallen and Suarez seem like two of the most likely to be moved. I could also see them wanting to hang on to and try to extend Kelly, as he has continued to excel for them.
@desert Nothing wrong with trading Kelly and resigning him in the offseason. It’s the cost that will be prohibitive regardless given how much they’re spending on other players and we all know Kendrick is going to have to sell soonish. Might be 2026, might be 2030, but hopefully we don’t get a San Diego situation; that helps exactly zero sides involved.
If they do retool, I expect Gallen, Suarez, Kelly, Naylor, McCarthy/Thomas, Puk are all on the market depending on the return. AZ could cash in big time and hope starting pitching somehow gets better by 2026, keeping the window slightly open. Their biggest problem in the retool would be what to focus on in return. AA/AAA Pitching would be ideal, but the quality of those arms for rental pieces will be more of the swill they have like Henry/Mena/Diaz, but to go younger means it’s not really a retool, but instead a rebuild step and at that point, why not listen on Perdomo, Moreno, etc to maximize the returns? Going all in around Gallen/Kelly was the choice made and it’s coming around to bite the team. It sucks, but it happens.
Jomboy’s gonna catch him saying his elbows dead, which means he needs a new tendon in his arm
Curious to see if Jomboy does a breakdown. Thanks for the heads-up, I’ll look for it.
He just may miss only one start. In the clubhouse he was fine. Even said he had another 30 pitches in him. Just some elbow tightness.
No reason to get all excited.
Do you really believe that??????
Flags, that’s what all those numbers are, indicating possible trends. The one that means the most is ERA and he’s delivered. As a science analyst I believe sometimes we like to over complicate things. What numbers one never hears about is how the pitcher gets out of situations, corners painted, and hit/swing speed when in difficult situations. Situational analytics is just as important as it delivers the mental aspects of the player and not just the physical.
Hoping it’s not serious.
Those #s are out there on numerous sites. Most writers aren’t going to get into those details as the avg fan and those slightly below average would likely not find appeal for that great of detail.
But I do find it kind contradicting that you ask for where more complicated and detailed stats yet the sentence prior you mention over complicating things.
Uh oh. Here comes Sluggo
Guy’s been cooked since 2023. It seems like Brewer pitchers only last a few years.
8th in Cy Young voting in 2023 and 5th in 2024. When u say “cooked” the meat must be absolutely raw.
@Tigers3232
Journalists are not the best evaluators of talent. Hilarious that you reference their votes.
2024 10th in WAR for pitchers in MLB 4th in ERA. That’s just scratching the surface. What’s hilarious is how off you were on Burnes…
@Tigers3232
By fWAR, he was 14th in WAR and by SIERA (what he can control as a pitcher, he was 24th).
So far, by fWAR this year, he’s 58th best SP and 45th by SIERA.
He’s cooked and it’s not surprising that regular fans think he’s still a great pitcher when in reality, he’s now in that average range.
14th in MLB last season, yet he’s been cooked since 2023…. Do you understand that’s an ace foe over half the teams last season? That’s anything but average.
@Tigers3232
I do understand trends. Do you? Clearly, not. He’s just not good anymore. He’s average at best.
He pitched just as well in 2024 as 2023. So gar this season he’s pitching the best he has since 2021. He is currently tied for 14th in WAR among all pitchers in MLB. That is what is called trending upward.
Just what az needed