D-Backs' Burnes won't make next start due to shoulder inflammation

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Corbin Burnes will miss his next scheduled start after being diagnosed with right shoulder inflammation, manager Torey Lovullo announced Saturday, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.

Burnes was scheduled to start Monday against the New York Mets at Chase Field. The D-Backs have yet to name a replacement starter.

While the D-Backs will skip over Burnes this time, they're optimistic he won't land on the injured list and can take the mound when his turn comes up again next weekend. Burnes underwent an MRI in Phoenix on Friday, which Lovullo said came back normal aside from some inflammation.

"I think it had probably been a start or two that he had been expressing that and feeling (fatigue in his shoulder)," Lovullo said. "We were with him. 'What are you thinking? What do you want to do?' He's like, 'I'm good, let me just keep going.' At some point, we just all decided the best thing to do, to get ahead of it, is let's examine it, get some imaging, pull back if we need to, and let him potentially skip a start, and he should be good for the rest of the year."

Burnes is off to a bit of a slow start with the D-Backs, posting a 3.58 ERA, 5.08 FIP, and 1.38 WHIP with 28 strikeouts and 17 walks over six starts. He's allowed only five home runs in 32 2/3 innings, but his 7.7 K/9 rate and 4.7 BB/9 rate currently stand as his career-worst marks.

Burnes appeared to be rounding into form of late, having allowed four earned runs over his last three starts. In his most recent outing Wednesday in New York, he allowed just one run over six innings against the Mets but issued a season-high five walks while tallying only three strikeouts.

The 2021 NL Cy Young winner joined Arizona on a six-year, $210-million contract during the offseason.