Former Wildcats Gets Tough News

In 2023, the Arizona Diamondbacks made an improbable run to the World Series despite being an 84-win team and barely sneaking into the postseason. The Diamondbacks pulled off upsets over the Brewers, The Dodgers and the Phillies to get to the game’s biggest stage.

During that run in the postseason, former Arizona Wildcats pitcher Kevin Ginkel played a critical role in a bullpen that caught fire at the right time and helped carry the team to the World Series.

It might go down as the best postseason performance from a relief pitcher in Diamondbacks history. Ginkel pitched 11 ⅔ innings while racking up 15 strikeouts and not giving up a single run along the way for a 0.00 ERA.

Since that incredible run by Ginkel, he has dealt with injuries and tried to even play through some during the 2024 season where he posted a 3.21 ERA in 72 appearances.

This season, Ginkel has had his struggles and has seen himself up and down from the minor leagues to the majors. Right now, he has a 7.36 ERA in 29 appearances.

In 25 ⅔ innings of work, Ginkel has allowed 13 walks to his 29 strikeouts, which would be a low strikeout-to-walk ratio compared to the last two seasons. And opponents are hitting .284 off the righty, which is the second highest mark of his career.

Right now, Ginkel is on pace to set a career-high in ERA. The highest he has posted was during the 2020 season where he made 19 appearances and finished with a 6.75 ERA. This would be his worst season of his career given the amount of innings pitched compared to that previous season.

However, things were turning around for Ginkel during the second half of the season as he has lowered his era by nearly two whole runs.

May 27, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Kevin Ginkel reacts after being pulled from the game in the eighth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

However, despite getting things turned around, Ginkel hit a road block this season with him ending up on the 15-day IL with what the Diamondbacks are calling a sprained right shoulder.

Before landing on the IL, Ginkel had put things together and during the month of July has appeared in 7 ⅔ innings giving up two runs while striking out six batters to his three walks allowed.

Unfortunately, there has been a recent update on Ginkel with the Diamondbacks moving him from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL and is still listed as a sprained shoulder at this point in time.

During that stretch of games, Ginkel has an era of 2.35 with opponents not being able to hit a single home run.

Now with Ginkel on the IL, this could potentially be the end to his season as he tries to get healthy and on a team that isn’t in the middle of the playoff hunt.

Please let us know your thoughts on Kevin Ginkel and the progress he seems to be making after early season struggles. To do so, follow us on our X account by clicking on the link.