The Arizona Diamondbacks' rotation has received a major boost for the stretch run.
Former Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes started Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium after being reinstated from the 60-day injured list. It marked his first appearance in the majors since June 1 of last year, a few days before he underwent Tommy John surgery.
Burnes didn't allow a run on two hits while striking out two and walking two over three innings of work. He was replaced by Kade Strowd after throwing 57 pitches, close to the 60-to-65-pitch mark he'd been targeting for this outing.
The right-hander was originally expected to return around the All-Star break. However, his return was delayed after he strained his right teres major muscle three months ago while rehabbing.
Burnes made a clean two-inning rehab start for Triple-A Reno on Aug. 29. He then pitched in a "bridge" game this past Friday, throwing 43 pitches in game action at a spring training facility plus another 10 in a bullpen session, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com.
"I'm ready," Burnes said Friday. He added: "Today, I think was, for me, a good last step if that's what it's going to be. Got swing and miss on cutters, sinkers, the curveball, the slider, the changeup. So I think we got a swing and miss on every pitch today, which is good. I was around the zone. For me, the thing is that I want to be able to command the baseball, and we were able to command it today, so it was good."
The 31-year-old was one of the most sought-after free agents in the 2024-25 offseason and joined Arizona on a six-year, $210-million deal. As a result of the elbow injury, Tuesday marked Burnes' 12th start in a D-Backs uniform.
Burnes put up a 2.92 ERA and 1.10 WHIP with 181 strikeouts over 32 starts for the Baltimore Orioles in 2024, his most recent full season. The four-time All-Star won the 2021 NL Cy Young with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Even on a pitch limit, Burnes could help push Arizona over the top as it tries to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2023. The Snakes entered Tuesday in the final NL wild-card spot, a half-game ahead of San Diego. Arizona and the Padres will meet at Petco Park on the final weekend of the season in a series that could determine which team moves on to October.
To make room for Burnes on the active roster, Arizona optioned right-hander José Cabrera to Reno before the game. The team also recalled Strowd from Triple-A and optioned Gerardo Carrillo.
