Oh boy, the Arizona Diamondbacks are in a bit of a pickle, aren’t they? Their big catch for the offseason, Eduardo Rodriguez, won’t be joining the party for the MLB’s curtain-raiser next week. The guy’s got a left lat strain. That’s a bummer. Torey Lovullo, the skipper, spilled the beans on Friday, courtesy of the Arizona Republic. You can catch that juicy bit of news
.
So, what’s the deal? Rodriguez is on a no-throw regime for now. And, get this, there’s no saying when he’ll be back in the game. The lefty felt something was off during a warm-up pitch last Tuesday. Went straight for tests, and bam, the strain was confirmed. These lat strains are tricky; a minor one’s a short stint on the sidelines, but a nasty one? That could really throw a wrench in the works for the season. The D-backs are keeping mum on how bad it is, though.
Lovullo seemed kinda relieved, though. Said they were lucky Rodriguez spoke up when he did. Dodged a bullet, or so he hopes. Rodriguez, who’s 30, landed in Arizona with a shiny four-year, $80 million deal. He’s got history with Lovullo and GM Mike Hazen from their Boston days. The plan was for him to be the rock-solid No. 3 starter the D-backs desperately needed last season.
With Rodriguez on the bench, it looks like Ryne Nelson and Tommy Henry might step up. They were duking it out for the fifth spot, but now? Things just got interesting. And yep, looks like Bryce Jarvis might snag a spot as the long reliever. Here’s how the rotation stacks up now: Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez (ouch), Brandon Pfaadt, Ryne Nelson, Tommy Henry, and Slade Cecconi.
Rodriguez had a decent run with the Detroit Tigers last year, clocking in 152 2/3 innings with a 3.30 ERA. He even played hardball with a no-trade clause to stay clear of the Dodgers, then waved goodbye to $49 million over three years to jump into free agency.
Last season, the D-backs did alright for themselves, hitting an 84-78 record and sneaking into the World Series as a wild card. Besides Rodriguez, they’ve added some firepower with Eugenio Suárez and Joc Pederson. Here’s to hoping they can navigate this curveball.
