In the Arizona Diamondbacks' spring training game against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez was forced to exit after only one inning with an apparent injury, per Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic:
“Diamondbacks lefty Eduardo Rodriguez is exiting the game with a trainer by his side. Replays showed him wincing a bit as he threw his warmup pitches prior to the start of the second inning. Not sure what the issue was.”
Hopefully it's nothing major and the Diamondbacks are simply being precautious, as Rodriguez figures heavily into their rotation plans in 2024 after signing with the team in early December.
Rodriguez had a sneaky good season in 2023 with the Detroit Tigers (13-9, 3.30 ERA, 143 K, 1.15 WHIP) and he was one of the more underrated pitchers on the market when he joined Arizona on a four-year/$80 million deal. Before heading to the desert, Rodriguez was also linked to the New York Mets.
The Arizona Diamondbacks finished last season with an 84-78 record, good for second place in the National League West. Arizona caught fire in the playoffs and rolled through the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Philadelphia Phillies behind star rookie Corbin Carroll. The Diamondbacks ran into the Texas Rangers in the 2023 World Series, falling in five games.
The Diamondbacks needed a front-end starter to add to the rotation before going out and snagging Rodriguez on the free agent market. Zach Gellen and Merrill Kelly performed well, but the starters dropped off after those two.
Arizona next takes on the Colorado Rockies in spring training action on Tuesday afternoon.
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