D-backs May Have Avoided Worst-Case Zac Gallen Injury Scenario

This is cautiously encouraging.

Apr 1, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen against the Detroit Tigers at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen was forced to exit his start early against the San Diego Padres on Saturday afternoon, despite putting forward three of the sharper innings of the season prior to his removal.

Gallen had been cruising through his start until he was struck in the right shoulder by a 92 MPH comebacker off the bat of Padres catcher Freddy Fermin.

After a lengthy conversation with trainers and manager Torey Lovullo, Gallen stayed in to finish the inning, but was removed for right-hander Brandon Pfaadt ahead of the fourth inning.

The D-backs called it a right shoulder contusion, officially — a diagnosis that carries a decent level of optimism. A contusion is, in essence, a bruise.

And according to AZCentral's Nick Piecoro, the D-backs are optimistic about Gallen's status. The right-hander may not need to miss any time, and the team is "more encouraged today" that Gallen will be able to make his next start without spending any time down.

Diamondbacks' Zac Gallen may not miss time

Mar 26, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen (23) throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

When Gallen was removed, it did appear that it was more of a cautionary decision, due to the fact that the team allowed him to finish his current inning.

Lovullo did note during his postgame press conference on the D-backs.TV broadcast that Gallen's shoulder began to affect him more after coming into the dugout, and that it did not make sense to push the right-hander further at that point.

Gallen has been in the midst of a somewhat strange season. Though his ERA is an impressive 3.14, he's been giving up the hardest contact of his career while also striking out the fewest batters.

There's something to be said for getting the job done regardless, but Gallen's expected metrics suggested some regression might have been coming, and quickly. His expected ERA (xERA) is currently 4.93, while his strikeout rate is a career-low 14.2% thus far in the young season.

It's those factors, specifically, that made Gallen's early removal exceptionally disappointing. Because for the first three frames of Saturday's game, Gallen's stuff looked sharp, his command was dialed in, and he was generating whiffs on both his knuckle-curve and slider despite the lofty 7,300-plus foot elevation of Mexico City.

If Gallen was beginning to generate some forward momentum, a stint on the IL or a skipped rotation turn might have derailed it. That may still be the case, depending on if his shoulder nags him in the coming days.

But for now, it looks like a somewhat safe bet that Gallen won't miss much time, if any. That, of course, could still change.