Luke Weaver

Luke Weaver hasn’t thrown a pitch for the D-backs since late May, when he was diagnosed with a forearm strain and a UCL injury, but the righty’s 2019 season isn’t necessarily over. Bill Ladson of MLB.com writes that Weaver is slated to throw a bullpen session later today, after which he could either toss a simulated game or pitch in a postseason game for a minor league affiliate. Most encouraging of all for D-backs fans is that Diamondbacks skipper Torey Lovullo tells Ladson he thinks there’s a “strong chance” Weaver will return to a big league mound in 2019.

It’s a welcome development for D-backs fans not only because some have feared that Weaver’s injury would culminate in surgery but also because the Diamondbacks have pulled themselves within two and a half games of the National League’s second Wild Card spot. With 18 games yet to play, they’re still a postseason underdog, but there’s a legitimate chance that they could find their way into a play-in game despite shipping Zack Greinke to the Astros in the final minutes of this year’s trading period. There’s also, apparently, a legitimate chance that Weaver will be able to impact that race and any subsequent postseason endeavors.

It seems unlikely that the Diamondbacks would be able to get Weaver stretched out sufficiently enough to resume his role as a conventional starter, but he could presumably work in shorter stints if he’s cleared to return. Given Robbie Ray’s recent blister issues, some added bullpen depth would be of benefit to Lovullo in the final weeks. Arizona is currently carrying a whopping 12 relievers, so it’s not as if Lovullo is lacking options, but a healthy Weaver would be superior to the majority of said options — many of whom are unproven at the MLB level.

Weaver, 26, went to the Diamondbacks along with Carson Kelly, minor league utilityman Andy Young and a Competitive Balance (Round B) draft pick in the trade that sent Paul Goldschmidt to St. Louis. While some fans were frustrated by the lack of a marquee prospect headlining the deal, both Weaver and Kelly were top-tier farmhands in St. Louis before debuting and were ready to step directly onto the roster. A strong 2019 showing for Kelly and terrific early results for Weaver have helped to justify that deal for the D-backs. In 62 1/3 innings prior to going on the injured list, Weaver pitched to a 3.03 ERA (3.10 FIP, 3.83 SIERA) with 9.8 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, 0.87 HR/9 and a 40.7 percent ground-ball rate. He’s controlled through the 2023 season and won’t be eligible for arbitration until the 2020-21 offseason.

Arm problems have kept Diamondbacks starter Luke Weaver out of action for almost a month, but the right-hander’s seemingly moving toward a return. A follow-up MRI on Weaver “showed improvement,” Steve Gilbert of MLB.com tweets. It’s still unclear when he’ll begin a throwing program, per Gilbert, though manager Torey Lovullo called Weaver’s progress “a very good sign.”

An injury to Weaver’s right ulnar collateral ligament and flexor pronator could have sent him to the operating table at the end of May, but a group of doctors agreed he could try to rehab without surgery. So far, so good for Weaver and the Diamondbacks, who can ill afford to see the 25-year-old go under the knife. The club’s starting staff has already been without the injured Taijuan Walker, who underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2018 and has more recently battled shoulder problems. Plus, in addition to Weaver and Walker, the team put fellow promising righty Jon Duplantier on the injured list June 12 with shoulder inflammation.

The absences of Weaver, Walker and Duplantier have left sizable holes in Arizona’s rotation after Zack Greinke, Robbie Ray and Merrill Kelly, helping to explain its recent slide down the standings. Having received unappealing results from Zack Godley and Taylor Clarke, the Diamondbacks are an unimpressive 39-40. However, they’re still just two games behind the Cardinals for the NL’s second wild-card spot.

Should the D-backs continue to hang around the playoff picture, a healthy Weaver could serve as an important in-season reinforcement. Acquired from the Cardinals last winter in a package for first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, Weaver has pitched to an outstanding 3.03 ERA/3.07 FIP with 9.82 K/9 and 2.02 BB/9 in 62 1/3 innings this season in his first action in the desert.

Diamondbacks right-hander Luke Weaver has been diagnosed with a forearm strain, manager Torey Lovullo tells reporters including Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter links). He’s set to receive a second medical opinion.

Lovullo says the organization is “very hopeful” that surgery will not ultimately be necessary. That statement could be read as an optimistic stance on the matter. But it’s obviously concerning that the injury is bad enough that surgery is being weighed on the spectrum of possibilities.

At this time, then, the outlook remains unclear. It’s unfortunate to see this malady crop up for the 25-year-old, who had been on an excellent run in Arizona since coming over in one of the most consequential trades in the organization’s history.

Weaver, 25, has thrown 62 1/3 innings over eleven starts, including the recent outing from which he was pulled with forearm tightness. He owns a 3.03 ERA with 9.8 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9.

Ramped-up usage of his cut fastball has helped Weaver get more from his arsenal. In addition to boosting his swinging-strike rate a bit (10.6%), he’s getting more first-pitch strikes and chases on pitches out of the zone.

There are certainly some questions as to whether Weaver can maintain this level of output, but he and the D-Backs would love to have the chance to find out. Hopefully, he’ll be able to rehab through the injury without requiring an exceedingly lengthy absence.

It was already rather clear that the Snakes would need to fill in for Weaver for at least some time. With today’s diagnosis, though, there’s little question the club will need more than a spot start. Zack Godley could fill in, though he failed to hold onto his rotation slot to open the year. Perhaps the club will give Jon Duplantier his first crack at starting in the majors after giving him some relief work earlier this season, though the young righty has been walk-prone at Triple-A (6.9 BB/9) and isn’t being asked to handle a full starter’s workload (17 innings in six starts).

MONDAY: The Diamondbacks have placed Weaver on the IL, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic tweets. The team recalled righty Jimmie Sherfy from Triple-A Reno to replace him.

SUNDAY: Diamondbacks right-hander Luke Weaver left today’s start with what the team later described as right forearm tightness.  As MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert notes, TV replays indicated that Weaver was opening and closing his right hand after allowing a Buster Posey single to begin the sixth inning.  Weaver left the game after a visit from the team trainer.  Manager Torey Lovullo was spare with further details, telling Gilbert and other reporters after the game that the team was still “gathering information” about the problem.

While it’s still too early to assess the nature of Weaver’s situation, any forearm problem is obviously of major concern given the specter of Tommy John surgery hanging over such injuries.  Weaver has never faced any notable arm injuries in the past, aside from a fluky fracture of his non-throwing wrist as a minor leaguer in 2016.

Weaver was in the midst of another strong outing today, continuing what has been an impressive first season for the 25-year-old with the D’Backs.  Weaver was arguably the key figure of the trade package (along with Carson Kelly, minor league infielder Andy Young, and a Competitive Balance Round draft pick) sent by the Cardinals to Arizona in the offseason for slugger Paul Goldschmidt, as Weaver is a former top-50 prospect controlled through the 2023 season who had already shown some promise at the big league level.  Through 62 1/3 innings for the Diamondbacks this season, Weaver has delivered on that promise with a 3.03 ERA, and 9.82 K/9 against a 2.02 BB/9.

Losing Weaver for any significant amount of time would be a major blow to a D’Backs team that was keeping pace in the playoff hunt, just a game behind the Braves for the final NL wild card slot and 1.5 games behind Milwaukee for the top wild card slot.  The strong efforts of Zack Greinke, Robbie Ray, and Weaver atop Arizona’s rotation has helped cover up a much shakier performance from the last two starting spots, as Merrill Kelly has been inconsistent and the Zack Godley lost his job altogether after some early-season struggles.  Rookie Taylor Clarke has pitched decently well as the fifth starter, and prospect Jon Duplantier could yet get a look in the rotation, though the Diamondbacks’ hopes for a midseason return from Tommy John patient Taijuan Walker were recently dealt a blow with the news that Walker had suffered a sprained shoulder capsule.

Arizona GM Mike Hazen recently said that the team was looking for starting pitching reinforcements, and that search will only intensify if Weaver is out of action.  Given how the D’Backs have been trying to walk the line between staying competitive while also saying goodbye to some big names (i.e. Goldschmidt, and departed free agents Patrick Corbin and A.J. Pollock), a splashy trade for a high-end starter didn’t seem too likely.  The parameters of a starting pitching acquisition could narrow even further if Weaver does need TJ surgery in a worst-case scenario, as losing Weaver for the season could also change the Diamondbacks’ perspective about buying at the trade deadline.  With the Dodgers already out to a healthy lead in the NL West, the D’Backs surely aren’t going to sell the farm just for the coin-flip opportunity of the one-game wild card playoff.