Corbin Burnes is headed back to the injured list, and the Diamondbacks are left scrambling again at the worst possible time.
Burnes will not make his scheduled start Saturday against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, according to Arizona Central’s Nick Piecoro. The right-hander is expected to go on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation.
It’s the latest interruption in a season that never really got going for Burnes. After Tommy John surgery ended his 2025 season in the middle of the year, he was supposed to come back in the second half of this season. Instead, a teres major strain pushed that timeline back even further.
Burnes finally took the mound for his season debut on Sept. 8 against the Kansas City Royals on the road, but the warning signs showed up quickly. His cutter was down noticeably in velocity, and the drop had analysts and fans wondering whether he was truly ready.
The pitch was sitting around 92 mph in his return, compared with about 95 mph last year.
Through three outings, Burnes posted a 7.84 ERA over 10⅓ innings with a 1.55 WHIP. His roughest night came against the Yankees last weekend, when he allowed four earned runs on three home runs.
For Arizona, the timing couldn’t be much worse. The Diamondbacks head into the final weekend of the season still battling for a postseason spot, and Burnes’ sudden absence means the club will have to find another starter for Saturday, either from the current staff or by making a roster move to cover the opening.
The team has not yet said how it plans to handle the spot, but losing another top arm now only tightens the pressure on a club with almost no margin for error.
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