The Arizona Diamondbacks' rotation is getting a major boost for the stretch run.
Former Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes was reinstated from the 60-day injured list and will start Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. It will be his first appearance in the majors since June 1 of last year, a few days before he underwent Tommy John surgery.
The right-hander was originally expected to return around the All-Star break. However, his return was delayed after he strained his right teres major muscle three months ago while rehabbing.
Burnes made a clean two-inning rehab start for Triple-A Reno on Aug. 29. He then pitched in a "bridge" game this past Friday, throwing 43 pitches in game action at a spring training facility plus another 10 in a bullpen session, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com.
"I'm ready," Burnes said Friday. He added: "Today, I think was, for me, a good last step if that's what it's going to be. Got swing and miss on cutters, sinkers, the curveball, the slider, the changeup. So I think we got a swing and miss on every pitch today, which is good. I was around the zone. For me, the thing is that I want to be able to command the baseball, and we were able to command it today, so it was good."
Burnes also noted Friday that he'd be aiming for "60 to 65 (pitches)" in his next outing. That threshold would presumably be his pitch limit in Tuesday's start.
The 31-year-old was one of the most sought-after free agents in the 2024-25 offseason and joined Arizona on a six-year, $210-million deal. As a result of the elbow injury, Tuesday will only mark Burnes' 12th start in a D-Backs uniform.
Burnes put up a 2.92 ERA and 1.10 WHIP with 181 strikeouts over 32 starts for the Baltimore Orioles in 2024, his most recent full season. The four-time All-Star won the 2021 NL Cy Young while with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Even on a pitch limit, Burnes could help push Arizona over the top as it tries to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2023. The Snakes entered Tuesday in the final NL wild-card spot, a half-game ahead of San Diego. Arizona and the Padres will meet at Petco Park on the final weekend of the season in a series that could determine which team moves on to October.
To make room for Burnes on the active roster, Arizona optioned right-hander José Cabrera to Reno. The team also recalled reliever Kade Strowd from Triple-A and optioned Gerardo Carrillo.
