The Arizona Diamondbacks signed pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez to a multi-year deal after the 2023 season. However, the team has yet to see him take the mound. Rodriguez hurt his shoulder in a spring training game with the Diamondbacks and started the 2024 season on the injured list. He was moved to the 60-day injured list with a strained shoulder in April, indefinitely postponing his Arizona debut.
However, the Diamondbacks received some positive news about the pitcher’s injury situation and may finally get their big free agent signing on the field.
Rodriguez, 31, will have an MRI on his shoulder this Friday. If the imaging comes back clean, he could begin throwing a bullpen session soon after. Thanks to the throwing work he’s already put in, he would only need about three weeks before he’s ready to pitch for the Diamondbacks, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Adding the lefty hurler would be a major boost for the pitching-needy Diamondbacks as well as a huge relief for fans. In addition to Rodriguez, the team lost starters Zac Gallen and Merill Kelly to lengthy stays on the injured list. The rotation the team cobbled together in their absence has struggled.
Kelly, 35, is also dealing with an injured shoulder. He’s targeting an August return but can’t say for sure when he’ll be healthy enough to pitch again, according to Luke Lyddon of 12News.
Fortunately, the Diamondbacks just got Gallen, 28, back from his hamstring injury. Arizona’s ace tossed six innings in his first start in nearly a month, giving up just one hit and earning the victory in a 3-0 win over the Oakland Athletics. If Rodriguez follows suit and successfully returns to action, it would go a long way to righting a shaky rotation.
Eduardo Rodriguez gets a promising injury update
Following a fairly successful tenure with the Detroit Tigers, Rodriguez – who won the 2018 World Series with the Boston Red Sox – opted out of the last three years of his deal in Detroit and signed a four-year, $80 million contract with the Diamondbacks.
While his shoulder ailment has kept him sidelined all season, he was effective last year for the Tigers, tossing 152.2 innings and posting a 3.30 ERA, 143 strikeouts, and an ERA+ of 134. Adding a lefty starter of that caliber to the rotation in late July would go a long way to helping the Diamondbacks in their second-half push for a Wild Card spot. And they don’t need to give up precious prospects in a trade to get him.
In fact, the Diamondbacks could improve their rotation a great deal as the season progresses simply by waiting for their injured starters to return to action. The question is, will it be too late?
Arizona is hovering around .500 with a 41-43 record. The team is now 10.5 games out of first place in the NL West and almost certainly won’t be able to catch the Los Angeles Dodgers. But the Diamondbacks are only 2.5 games back in the National League Wild Card race – which is so wide open that 10 teams are within five games of a postseason berth.
If Arizona has any hope of grabbing one of the two Wild Card spots currently held by the Atlanta Braves and the San Diego Padres, they’re going to need to get healthy for a second-half push. And Rodriguez’s return to the rotation will be a big part of that effort.
Follow Us
Subscribe