The Diamondbacks announced that right-hander Zac Gallen has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a right hamstring strain. Fellow righty Slade Cecconi has been recalled in a corresponding move.
Gallen, 28, took the ball in last night’s game against the Mets but departed after just six pitches, with the club later announcing the hamstring strain. There were some signs pointing to a mild injury, as manager Torey Lovullo told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo show earlier today that he expected Gallen to miss one start without going on the IL, as relayed by Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports. Though it seems the club decided to put him on the IL after all, putting him out of action for the next two weeks at least.
Even if it does prove to be a short absence, it’s not good news for the Snakes, as Gallen has emerged as one of the better pitchers in baseball in recent years. In 725 career innings, he has allowed 3.20 earned run per nine frames. Since the start of 2022, he has a 3.05 ERA, 26.3% strikeout rate, 6.1% walk rate and 43.3% ground ball rate.
Subtracting that kind of performance would hurt any rotation but it’s especially concerning for the Diamondbacks, as Gallen now joins Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodríguez on the injured list. The defending National League champions have gotten out to a slow start so far this year and are currently 25-31. Climbing back into a playoff position will be tough without those three pitchers and neither Kelly nor Rodríguez have started a rehab assignment yet, so the club will definitely be hoping that Gallen just needs a quick breather before returning.
For now, the club’s rotation consists of Jordan Montgomery, Brandon Pfaadt, Ryne Nelson, Blake Walston and Cecconi. Both Nelson and Cecconi have an ERA over 6.00. Montgomery is at 4.69 and Pfaadt at 4.16. Walston’s ERA is just 2.16 but in a tiny sample of 8 1/3 innings. Tommy Henry is on optional assignment, though he has a 5.40 ERA in the majors so far this year. Cristian Mena is also on the 40-man roster but has yet to make his major league debut.