3 Reasons the Diamondbacks' Bullpen is Taxed Despite Off Days

Just one month into the season and Arizona's bullpen already has their backs to the wall

Apr 14, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Juan Morillo (left) is removed from the game in the eighth inning by manager Torey Lovullo (right) against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

The Arizona Diamondbacks have had several off days over the last week, including just before and just after their weekend series in Mexico City against the Padres. Despite those off days, the D-backs' bullpen is indeed taxed.

Speaking to reporters, including AZCentral's Jose Romero, right after their 13-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday, Torey Lovullo was blunt.

"No, we're not going to be OK pitching-wise, and we're probably going to be making a (roster) move," Lovullo said.

That could very well include optioning righty Andrew Hoffmann to Reno and calling up a reliever from the Triple-A club. Hoffmann was supposed to deliver two innings and give the beleaguered bullpen a break. Instead he recorded just one out among the 11 batters faced, allowing eight hits and eight runs.

That forced Ryan Thompson and Taylor Clarke into the game early, adding to the ever-pressing workload of the bullpen as a whole. Obviously it wasn't just Hoffman's outing that created this situation. There are three primary reasons.

1: D-backs Relievers on Pace for Career Highs in Games, Innings Pitched

D-backs Relievers Games and Innings Pace | Jack Sommers

The table above shows the year to date games and innings pitched, the 162 game pace, and that number is compared to the pitcher's career high. Newly-converted long man Brandon Pfaadt is not included in the table. Asterisk indicates majors/minors combined.

Of the seven short- and medium-length relievers in the D-backs bullpen, five of them are on pace to exceed their career high in games pitched. That includes Ryan Thompson, Juan Morillo, Taylor Clarke, Jonathan Loaisiga, and Paul Sewald. Two others, Kevin Ginkel and Hoffmann, are on pace to match career highs in games pitched.

Note that games, not innings are the metric of choice here because the number of times a pitcher had to get up and warm in the bullpen before coming into a game is part of the workload calculation. It also shows how little rest and recovery between outings they're getting.

This is clearly an unsustainable pace for almost all of the bullpen. The problem is that only two of these pitchers have minor league options, Hoffmann and Morillo. None of the other pitchers can be sent to Triple-A to get a break. They would have to be passed through waivers (DFA), and none of them would clear.

2: Short Outings by D-backs Starting Pitchers

Apr 19, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo (left) pulls pitcher Ryne Nelson from the game in the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

In the four previous seasons, the Diamondbacks' average ranking for innings pitched per start was around 10th. This year it's 20th, and it's been especially acute of late.

Diamondbacks Average IP per Game Started vs League Average | Jack Sommers

In the D-backs' last 13 games, only one starter (Michael Soroka) has gone six innings or more, when he made it through seven innings on April 17.

On April 19, Ryne Nelson got just one out in the first inning before having to be removed from the game, surrendering eight runs to the Blue Jays. Merrill Kelly failed to complete the fifth inning on April 21, going just 4.1 innings and giving up eight runs to the White Sox.

Then Zac Gallen was hit on the shoulder by a comebacker on Saturday, April 25, against the Padres in Mexico, and was only able to go three innings in a game he looked poised to easily go six innings.

The cumulative effect has simply been to leave too many outs and innings on the table for the bullpen, and when some of those relievers don't perform well, and can't make it through their allotted innings, it compounds the problem.

3: Too Many Close D-backs Games

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Paul Sewald (38) celebrates closing out the Detroit Tigers 9-6 at Chase Field on March 30, 2026. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Diamondbacks have played in10 one-run games, which is the second-most in MLB. They also have played eight games in which the margin on win or loss was between two and three runs.

There were more of these types of close games in the first few weeks than lately. But so many close games put the bullpen on pace for such a high games workload in the first place.

Torey Lovullo's Tough Task

Apr 21, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo reacts in the eighth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Lovullo has come under fire of late for having a late hook with a struggling starting pitcher or reliever. But it's clear from the above information why that's happening. The bullpen is already over-extended, and running on fumes as of April 29. Multiple pitchers are frequently "down" or unavailable.

At the same time, having missed the playoffs narrowly the past two seasons, Lovullo is acutely aware of the importance of the early games. He's been pulling out all stops to take the winnable games early in the year when almost every contest was a nail-biter.

Compound all that with the lack of roster flexibility and the inability to bring in fresh arms regularly due to lack of minor league options, and it's a recipe for exactly the situation we see now. Some fans may quibble over Lovullo's bullpen management, and even this writer has been critical of some moves.

The D-backs rank 28th in MLB with a 4.97 ERA. That breaks out to 4.78 from the rotation and 5.21 from the relievers. Catcher James McCann has already made three appearances in blowout games. Even he is on pace to appear in 17 games. That may be the most unsustainable pace of all if the D-backs expect to get back to the Postseason in 2026.