Corbin Burnes Tells All in Q&A on Rotation Order Situation

A mini drama emerged over the last few days of Arizona Diamondbacks camp over the rotation order to start the season. It was assumed, most importantly by manager Torey Lovullo, that Corbin Burnes would slot in behind Zac Gallen to pitch game two of the season against the Chicago Cubs.

The issue that arose, however, is that Burnes prefers to stay on his normal rest routine, and in order to accommodate that, he'll need to pitch a simulation game on a backfield Wednesday at Salt River Fields, and then his first start of the year will come in the fifth game of the year on the road against the Yankees in New York.

This caught Lovullo by surprise, and he admitted as much during his press conference on Sunday, stating it was his fault for not understanding his pitcher well enough and how the Opening Day starter decision may impact Burnes' routine.

On Monday we were able to catch up with Burnes in the clubhouse and he answered all questions. Presented here is the full Q&A, which allows for the full context of his remarks. He is a very straightforward and articulate speaker. His answers should be considered the definitive view of not only this situation, but of the pitcher's approach to his profession.

You obviously have a routine that is scheduled out, just walk us through how strict you are about that.

"I think it's pretty well-documented. Ever since I was a pretty bad pitcher in 2019, I made some changes and it's kind of made me the pitcher I am as far as my process and my routine.

"They announced Zac as Opening Day starter, so next was to figure out where I fit in my schedule and my routine for it and we really only had one option. So once we sat down and talked about it and communicated, that's what the plan is."

Is that OK with you to be slotted into the fifth start of the year?

"For me it's not the slot I'm pitching in, it's where it fits into my routine. So obviously the decision was made pretty late in camp, so we didn't have much time to adjust to it, so that was really the only option we had."

Was there any frustration with the communication?

"No, obviously he had a tough decision to make. Myself and [pitching coach Brian Kaplan] had set our schedule for the spring in mid-late January, so it was something that had been out there for a while of when I was going to pitch and what my progression leading up to season was going to be like.

"So I don't think it really caught anyone by surprise that I was throwing on those days. He [Lovullo] was, as they say, agonizing over the decision, so when he made the decision, that was kind of figuring out where he would fit in my routine."

You said no other options, you couldn't have pushed back the start on Friday to line it up a little differently?

"The reason why I'm here today and the pitcher I am is because of those routines, and I brought that up. The reason I'm here, the reason you guys signed me, the reason you guys gave me this contract is because of this process and that routine. Is that something we want to change the first start of my D-backs tenure? That was a pretty astounding no, so this was the option we had."

When did you develop your routine and fully implement it?

"I developed it at the end of 2019, and then halfway through that COVID year is when I became a starter full-time, and haven't deterred from it since then."

How excited are you to be in New York for your first start?

"It'll be great. I treat every start and prepare the same way, whether it's the four days leading up or the five days leading up that time through, nothing changes for me, so every start for me is the same. Doesn't matter if it's the first start, midway through the season, postseason, my preparation routine is going to be the same every time out there, so I'm just excited to get into it and get going."

What happens sometimes during the season when there's an off day or something built in? How do you adjust?

"That's part of the conversations that we'll have. Every five or six weeks, we map things out. Obviously, the schedule's out there, so it's something that we can prepare for, and whether it's going to be a normal rest or an extra day rest that time through, I know weeks in advance what it is so I can fit it in my routine.

"It's not just the four or five days leading up to the throwing. It's mental work, workouts, arm care, getting stuff done in the training room. I've got pretty detailed things of what I do every single day, so the more that I can stick to that, the better prepared I am and the better chance I have to go out there and perform."

How have you handled that in the past? Does it vary from situation to situation?

"I make starts on normal rest or extra days rest. It pretty much comes out about even. You get about 15 starts on the normal [4 days] rest and about 15 or 16 on the extra day rest. It's one of those things that going into a big league season, you know the schedule and how it maps out, so you know your week, you're going to get the extra rest so you can start that routine.

"When I come out of a game I'm already working on the next time through, whether it's four days rest, I get right to work that night, if it's the five days, I get the extra one. I know I can give myself a night to kind of enjoy it. For me it's just something that I've done over the past four or five years and it's worked, so I don't really see a reason to change it."

Do you have any advice for people trying to stick to routines?

"When I started doing it in 19, everything was written out. If you have to sit down and write it out every day, it forces you do it. I started doing it in August of 2019 and from August of 2019 until Spring Training started in February of 2020, essentially every hour was documented on whatever excel spreadsheet or in a journal. So my mental performance coach Brian King was checking it just about every hour to make sure that we were sticking to it."

Are you worried this will cost you a start again this season?

"No. I mean, I've made 32 starts every year. Made 33 the year before that when we were eliminated from the postseason. Five slots, still got to make 32 to turn through the rotation. So we can probably sneak another one in at the All-Star Break if we really need to, if they want to get to 33. But not too many guys are getting 30-plus starts every year, and I've done that pretty routinely."

Corbin Burnes on his routine and pitching 5th game of the year for the #Diamondbacks pic.twitter.com/ZpaF8qb3qd
— Jack Sommers (@shoewizard59) March 24, 2025