Welcome to the D-backs Beat Newsletter! I’m Steve Gilbert and I’ve been writing about the D-backs since 1998. Let’s get right to it … |
Diamondbacks right-hander Corbin Burnes is living out the movie “Groundhog Day” in real life as he works to recover from his June Tommy John surgery. Burnes stopped by the Arizona clubhouse before Sunday’s game with the Cardinals, something he tries to do at least once a week when the team is at home. The other days … well, they’re similar. “We're at the early stages of this rehab process,” Burnes said. “So it's a lot of doing the same stuff every day, over and over again, and a long, long, slow process.” Burnes works with the Diamondbacks’ rehab team at the team’s Salt River Fields Spring Training facility each morning. The good news for Burnes is that he is a very routine-oriented person, so the process is something he is suited to do. “This is probably feeding into my routine ‘orientedness’ of knowing exactly what I'm doing every day at the same time, how many days a week,” Burnes said. “I mean, it's takes me three or four hours every day. I go in the morning, get stuff done, get my work in, and go home and be a dad, be a husband.” |
One of the reasons Burnes signed his six-year, $210 million deal with the Diamondbacks last offseason was to play close to his home in Scottsdale. That would allow him to spend more time with his wife and kids. Little did he know that an elbow injury suffered on June 1 would cause him to be home more than he imagined. “My [twin] girls turned 1 about three weeks ago, so I was able to be around for her first birthday,” Burnes said. “And the girls are getting ready to start walking here soon, so I'll get to see a lot of their firsts. And my son still says, ‘Hey, Daddy, can we go to the clubhouse?’ Like, yeah, sorry buddy, maybe you can come into rehab or something.” Recovery times from Tommy John surgery can vary, but Burnes will at least be out for a calendar year, so he will miss at least the first few months of the 2026 season. “It's just one of those things that you never want to happen,” Burnes said. “Some guys, it happens early on in their career, some guys never go through it. You know, it sucks that I just signed here and was throwing the ball really well, and then it happens. So it kind of leaves a bad taste in my mouth, in the organization’s mouth, of what could have been this season.” |
Burnes watches all the Diamondbacks games on TV, and he said he texts some of his fellow pitchers if he notices something that might help, as well as staying in communication with pitching coach Brian Kaplan. Right-hander Brandon Pfaadt, who has begun incorporating a cutter into his repertoire of late, has taken some advice on the pitch from Burnes, who is regarded as having one of the best cut fastballs in the game. When he called Burnes following his surgery, manager Torey Lovullo said he encouraged Burnes to continue to stay involved with the team during his rehab, inviting him to stop by his office any time he is around to “shoot the breeze.” “I just want the players that are hurt to feel like they're still on this team,” Lovullo said. “I want them to watch the game, pay attention, stay connected to their teammates. It’s a long, long road for him, but I don't want him to get too far away from this game, and I've been an injured player, and it can be depressing at times. When you come around your teammates and your coaches, it makes you feel good.” |
|
|
MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST
|
|
|
Monday marked the return of first baseman Christian Walker to Chase Field for the first time since he signed a three-year, $60 million free-agent deal with the Astros over the winter. When he first walked in, it was a little disorienting for him to go to the visitors’ clubhouse on the first-base side, instead of the home side where he was from 2017-24. “Everything's on the other side, it's a little bit backwards,” Walker said. “But no, it's good just driving in and seeing familiar sights. The desert is a very special place, and a lot of memories here. I’m mostly excited about just seeing the guys. I've kept in touch with a few of them over the course of the year, but to be able to give some hugs and shake some hands of people I haven't seen in a while is special.” |
|
|
FORWARDED FROM A FRIEND? SUBSCRIBE NOW |
|
|
To subscribe to D-backs Beat, visit this page and mark "D-backs Beat" from our newsletter list. Make sure you're following the D-backs or that they're checked as your favorite team. |
|
|
|
