What We Learned From Zac Gallen's First Spring Outing vs Dodgers

The Diamondbacks' righty turned in a solid first effort.

Sep 26, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen (23) throws a pitch during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | David Frerker-Imagn Images

On Wednesday, Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen made his first appearance of spring training against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He had to labor, but ultimately posted a positive result.

Gallen was only given one inning, as he is a slight step behind the others in his ramp-up as a result of signing a few days into camp. He allowed one hit — a sharp leadoff single — but struck out two batters and did not issue a walk. He threw 23 pitches, landing 14 for strikes.

Admittedly, the Dodgers did not put forward their star hitters, which will pose a much different challenge once the regular season arrives. Still, Gallen's first outing was relatively encouraging.

What We Learned from Zac Gallen's First Outing vs Dodgers

Sep 15, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen (23) pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Gallen did not appear to be taking it slow. His four-seam fastball velocity sat around 95 MPH, topping out at 95.4. He averaged 93.5 on the offering in 2025. Gallen has, at times, thrown harder when amped up.

"Nice to see Zac out there, looked like the velo was very aggressive," manager Torey Lovullo said postgaem. "I was just hearing some things, so I don't know exactly where it was sitting, but he said he felt great. That was a really nice sign."

Gallen appears to be locked in for spring training despite the somewhat late start, although the high pitch count was somewhat reminiscent of his career-worst 2025 season. It's far too early to overreact, however, on both the positives and negatives of Gallen's first spring start.

"Ball felt like it was coming out pretty good. ... It was good to be back out there," Gallen said (via Jose Romero of AZCentral).

"This was fun, to get back out there and actually get in a game setting and face another uniform. Makes it feel a lot more normal."

Lovullo had also noted in his pre-game media availability that Gallen did not appear to be suffering much from his altered timeline.

"He's a very process-oriented player. He came in here in real good shape," Lovullo said. "I could tell that he was getting workouts done. ... I think it's been two weeks since he signed, the fact that he's turned it around and he's starting a game [Wednesday] tells me that story and a lot of what I need to know."

Gallen said that the schedule he's currently on is the one he would have chosen for himself, regardless of when he signed. But the right-hander certainly appears to be prepared for what's to come.

With Merrill Kelly no longer able to make the start on opening day due to his back injury, Gallen could be destined for a fourth-straight opening day start.