Corbin Burnes on Track to Make Start May 10 Against Dodgers

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo gave a number of pitcher health updates on Monday, the most important of which regarded Corbin Burnes.

The star pitcher reported some shoulder soreness over the last week or two, and was sent back from the recent east coast road trip early to get an MRI. That imaging showed shoulder inflammation but no specific structural damage.

The decision was made to have him skip his Monday start against the Mets, but he will avoid an Injured List stint for now.

Signed to a six-year, $210 million contract during the offseason, Burnes got off to a shaky start through his first six outings. Despite a 3.58 ERA, he has recorded a career-low strikeout rate and has been laboring through outings with an unusually high walk rate. That's left him with a 5.09 FIP and a 5.34 xERA, predictive metrics that often are better indicators of quality than ERA, especially in smaller samples.

Burnes threw a flat-ground session in the Chase Field outfield on Monday and spoke to his manager afterwards. Lovullo reported that Burnes feels good and is on track to make his next scheduled start on Saturday May 10 against the Dodgers.

Threw a flat ground ( not bullpen mound) then spoke with trainer Ryan DiPanfilo and pitching coach Brian Kaplan, ending with a fist bumps https://t.co/VhGBU1vQLd pic.twitter.com/YgWz1741SM
— Jack Sommers (@shoewizard59) May 5, 2025

Justin Martinez (15-day IL on May 1, shoulder inflammation)

Over the weekend Lovullo told reporters that Martinez would begin a throwing program on Monday. But today he said that Martinez would not begin throwing until the end of this week. Asked about the discrepancy, Lovullo said he misunderstood original medical reports from the training staff and took "next week" to mean Monday.

Asked if Martinez was on track to return when eligible on May 16, Lovullo was non-committal, and might have been dialing down expectations for the shortest possible IL stint.

"I don't know. I think we've got to be careful with rushing him back too soon. So we'll see how he feels. He's going to get a ball in his hand and then once he determines where he's at with the strength and stability and all the range of motion, all the things that go with being an elite pitcher, we'll start to ramp up more of the intensity and we can probably get a game plan," Lovullo said.

Lovullo said that Martinez would need to work up to facing hitters in the Arizona Complex League, and then they would determine the schedule from there. Based on all of the above, it sounds like Martinez's time on the injured list will extend beyond 15 days.

Kendall Graveman (15-Day IL since March 24 with lower back tightness)

Graveman will pitch in a rehab game for the Triple-A Reno Aces on Wednesday. "So we start shuttling into an affiliate, start to get hot, live times and reads and your day is as normal as any. You know you're getting pretty close," Lovullo said.

It's notable that Kevin Ginkel recently pitched in two rehab outings for the Aces and then was activated. Graveman might require more than two outings, however. He has not pitched in a major league game since 2023, having missed all of 2024 due to shoulder surgery.