Zac Gallen Kicks Off His Spring with Brutal Dodgers Challenge

Zac Gallen's first spring outing won't be an easy one.

Feb 18, 2026; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen (23) poses for a photo for MLB media day at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images | Allan Henry-Imagn Images

It's not going to be a soft landing for Arizona Diamondbacks returning right-hander Zac Gallen. On Wednesday, he'll make his first start of spring training — against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Gallen re-signed with the D-backs unexpectedly, a few days following pitchers and catchers reporting to Salt River Fields. He will only throw one inning Wednesday.

That puts him somewhat behind the curve with regard to the rest of Arizona's starters, save for Merrill Kelly, who is dealing with mid-back tightness. Manager Torey Lovullo assured reporters that the team "can make up for that," however.

Arizona Diamondbacks' Zac Gallen to Face Dodgers

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

Results in spring training hardly matter, as Lovullo has frequently reiterated. A pitcher's first outing, in particular, carries little weight.

It may be a positive for the right-hander to see some of the better hitters in the game right away and set a baseline for his ramp-up process this spring, although it's unclear as of this writing how many of Los Angeles' stars will see the field.

Across from Gallen taking the mound for Los Angeles will be right-hander Roki Sasaki. Sasaki pitched to a 4.46 ERA for the Dodgers in 2025, struggling as a starting pitcher before transitioning to a relief role.

Gallen, of course, is coming off his worst major league season, throwing to an ugly 4.83 ERA and a career-low 21.5% strikeouts rate over the course of 192 innings. He did, however, put forward a 3.32 ERA post-Deadline, looking much more like the ace he once was for Arizona. The hope is that Gallen can rediscover that success during his one-year deal this season.

"I've always kind of bet on myself," Gallen said upon returning to the D-backs. "I think I felt like I owed it to myself, owed to my family, even owed it to the organization, the fans here, [to] come back, have a good year and kind of prove my worth again and kind of get that little added extra motivation."

"I think you what you saw in the second half [of 2025] was me starting to clean up those movement patterns and shapes were getting back to what I was used to. Pitches were breaking how I wanted them to. I knew where to start them."

Other pitchers expected to get into the game for the Diamondbacks on Wednesday include RHP Dylan Ray, RHP Drey Jameson, RHP Gerardo Carrillo, RHP Shawn Dubin, RHP Alfred Morillo and RHP Hayden Durke.

The Dodgers are expected to send out closer Edwin Diaz and left-hander Tanner Scott, among others.