Top D-backs Pitching Prospect Out "Weeks not Days" per Manager Update

A long list of injury updates included some very bad news on Cristian Mena

May 9, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Cristian Mena against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

When Torey Lovullo gave his ever-lengthening injury report update Monday in front of a packed media room, there was a most unwelcome clarification on the injury to top pitching prospect Cristian Mena.

Placed on the 15-day injured list June 7 with a right shoulder strain, that injury has now been classified as a Teres Major strain. Mena will miss "weeks, not days" according to the manager.

Mena mentioned during his warmup in the bullpen Friday night that he felt a little bit tight, but still went out and tried to compete, resulting in the injury. This occured during a heavy rainstorm and it was highly questionable that the game was allowed to continue. Lovullo did not think it was due to the rain however, citing the prior tightness in the bullpen.

The Teres Major is a muscle that connects the Scapula to the Humerus (upper arm) near the shoulder. An image can be found at this link.

Mena had recently ascended to the No. 5 overall rank on the Arizona Diamondbacks On SI midseason prospect update, and is the best pitching prospect currently in the organization in our view. In three major league relief appearances he threw 6.2 innings, allowing just one run on a solo homer in that rain-soaked fiasco on Friday. Mena had walked three and struck out eight batters.

This is another tough blow to a team that can ill-afford rotation injuries, having just lost Corbin Burnes to Tommy John surgery. The depth at Triple-A is now down to Tommy Henry, Dylan Ray, Spencer Giesting and Yu-Min Lin. The latter three have very little experience at that level. Henry is a known commodity, but has struggled to stick at the major league level.

Other Health Updates

Kendall Graveman, 15-day IL with hip impingement: Lovullo said that the hip had been bothering him "two-plus weeks." There were some games lately where it seemed he could or should have been used, but was unavailable. This new information coming to light explains why. Graveman missed most of the first six weeks of the season due to a lumbar strain, and all of 2024 following shoulder surgery.

Gabriel Moreno, day-to-day, sore hand. Lovullo said Moreno, who was removed from Friday night's game when hit on the hand by a wild pitch, is "very close. He is officially able to back up as a true backup. Yesterday it would have been emergency only."

Corbin Carroll, tight hamstring: The speedy outfielder sat out a couple games in Cincinnati due to a "very tight hamstring" according to Lovullo, but is back in the lineup Monday night against Seattle. The injury happened during the Atlanta series.

"Corbin came up a little bit sore and a little bit lame, and a couple of other players did as well, so we're trying to still work through that right now," Lovullo said.

Asked if it were still a concern, the manager said, "I think it's in the past. I think we're pushing through it and we're just about at the other side. It's improving rapidly every single day."

A.J. Puk, 60-day IL, Flexor Tendon Strain: Puk is throwing out to 120 feet, but has not yet begun throwing off a mound. He is not expected back before the end of June. He first went on the injured list on April 18, and was later transferred to the 60-day.

In his absence Jalen Beeks has had to carry a heavy workload, but the team recently promoted Kyle Backhus to give additional coverage from the left side in the bullpen.

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