Diamondbacks Place High-Ranked Pitching Prospect on Injured List

A tough blow for one of Arizona's top-performing prospects.

Feb 18, 2026; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Mitch Bratt (60) 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

One of the Arizona Diamondbacks' most high-performing pitching prospects is set to miss a bit of time.

Left-handed pitching prospect Mitch Bratt, who ranks as Arizona's No. 14 overall prospect and No. 6 pitching prospect, was placed on the minor league seven-day injured list, according to the transaction log on his player page.

It's a back injury for Bratt — described as back inflammation, according to AZCentral's Nick Piecoro. Bratt has reportedly been dealing with a nagging issue there since making an awkward throw on a play during one of his starts.

It does not sound like this injury is severe, though no potential timeline has been reported.

Diamondbacks place Mitch Bratt on IL with back injury

Mar 13, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Canada pitcher Mitch Bratt in the first inning against USA during the World Baseball Classic at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports | Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

It's a tough blow for Bratt, who was in the midst of an outstanding season at the Triple-A level. At just 22 years old, the left-hander holds a 2.68 ERA for the Aces. He's struck out 38 batters in 40.1 innings and mostly limited the free passes, with 11 total walks.

Considering the extreme hitter's environment that is the Pacific Coast League, it's doubly impressive to see numbers so pristine. And his raw ERA is mostly backed by his peripherals. His 3.51 expected ERA and 3.92 FIP are both well above average for PCL pitchers.

Bratt, of course, was one of the primary returns of the trade that sent right-handed veteran Merrill Kelly over to the Texas Rangers at the 2025 Trade Deadline. So far, Bratt has been a much more successful arm than his lefty counterpart Kohl Drake, who has an 8.10 ERA at the same level.

Bratt is more of a command-over-velocity pitcher, with a fastball that struggles to climb up to 91 MPH. Still, he's been getting it done at a high level in a tough league, and at a significantly younger age than the PCL's average 27.8.

This injured list stint for Bratt appears to be only a minor setback, for the time being. As it stands, Arizona's pitching depth has already taken a bit of a hit of late.

Right-hander Cristian Mena, who would have been the next-man-up to the D-backs' rotation, will have shoulder surgery, which is quite likely to end his season. Rehabbing ace Corbin Burnes has suffered a setback and may not be ready for a return until September, if not later.

If the Diamondbacks have to call on a starting pitcher from their minor league ranks at some point this season, Bratt (if healthy) may be in consideration despite his young age.