Corbin Burnes isn’t quite ready to climb back into Arizona’s rotation, and the Diamondbacks are taking the long view with their ace.
Torey Lovullo provided an update on Corbin Burnes, who will pitch in a bridge camp game on Thursday.
— PHNX Diamondbacks (@PHNX_Dbacks) September 1, 2026
If all goes well, it sounds like Burnes will rejoin the starting rotation for the finale in Kansas City or the home series vs the Rangers pic.twitter.com/Fb1KreqTfM
Manager Torey Lovullo said Tuesday, before the club faced the Philadelphia Phillies, that Burnes will make another rehab appearance Thursday in a Bridge Camp game. The goal is simple: keep building his workload in a controlled setting rather than forcing a return before he’s fully stretched out.
That means no comeback this week, and no weekend activation either. The Diamondbacks had previously discussed possibly using the four-time All-Star against the Houston Astros, but that plan is off the table now. If Burnes had been available for that start, Arizona would have limited him to about three innings and 45 pitches.
Burnes’ most recent outing came Saturday at Triple-A Reno, where he fired two scoreless, 1-2-3 innings on just 17 pitches. He then kept working in the bullpen afterward. His cutter averaged 92.5 mph in that appearance, down from his usual 94.1 mph, though Lovullo made it clear the hold-up wasn’t about velocity.
What Arizona wants is length. The team is aiming for Burnes to get to roughly 65 pitches before putting him back in the rotation, with Lovullo stressing the importance of having him capable of working deeper into games instead of handing the bullpen a heavy load. That concern mattered even more with Burnes likely sitting around 40-50 pitches if he had returned Friday.
The timing around the rest of the staff also played a role. Arizona is dealing with uncertainty in Wednesday’s rotation spot, with Jose Cabrera expected to start, and the club didn’t want to stack short outings on top of more bullpen work in back-to-back games. The Diamondbacks do have Thursday off, and September call-ups have added another arm to the bullpen mix, but the organization still prefers to keep increasing Burnes’ workload before bringing him back.
Burnes hasn’t pitched in the majors since June 1, 2025, when an elbow injury led to surgery. Arizona signed him to a four-year, $210 million deal before the 2025 season, but injuries have limited him to 11 starts with the Diamondbacks.
Lovullo said it would be a “fair assumption” that Burnes could return for his next start after Thursday’s Bridge Camp appearance. If that holds, Arizona’s three-game series against the Kansas City Royals from September 7-9 or the three-game set against the Texas Rangers beginning September 11 could be the spot for his return.
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