The Diamondbacks are lining up a double boost for their rotation, with Zac Gallen expected back from the 60-day injured list and Michael Soroka set to return from the 15-day IL for tomorrow’s series finale in Kansas City, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.
Arizona already has a spot open for Gallen on the 40-man roster, so the club will only need to make two option moves to clear room. The plan is for Gallen and Soroka to handle the bulk of the work together, with each right-hander projected to cover about 3-4 innings in what will function as a tandem start.
Gallen has been sidelined since the second half began because of elbow inflammation. He made one official rehab appearance on August 30, logging 1 2/3 innings in a Triple-A game. Last Friday, he followed that with a 60-pitch simulated game and is now ready to rejoin the major league staff, per the MLB.com injury tracker.
Soroka’s path back has been similar. He has missed the last couple weeks with shoulder inflammation and threw 59 pitches in a simulated game last Friday as well.
The return comes after a rough season for Gallen, whose numbers have slipped badly. He’s carrying a 6.34 ERA in 19 starts, and his 13.9% strikeout rate is down seven points from last year’s 21.5% figure, which was already a career low.
He has also surrendered too many home runs for a second straight year. Even with the drop in results, he’s still challenging hitters in the zone, but the stuff hasn’t missed enough bats.
Soroka’s season has gone in the opposite direction. He has posted a 3.40 ERA across 18 outings and pitched well enough early to keep a rotation job after originally being projected for swing work.
Injuries have kept interrupting that progress, though. He missed all of July with a glute strain and then ran into the shoulder issue last month.
In the three appearances between those IL stints, he wasn’t as crisp as he had been during an excellent first half.
With the rotation thin, Arizona will take both arms back gladly as the stretch run tightens up. Corbin Burnes already gave the club three scoreless innings in his first MLB appearance in 15 months tonight.
The Diamondbacks have won three straight and hold a half-game lead over the Padres for the final playoff spot in the National League. Gallen and Soroka are both impending free agents, giving them a couple weeks to improve their value before they hit the open market.
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