PHOENIX – Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo made it clear that the club is not considering sending starter Ryne Nelson to the minor leagues as Merrill Kelly is scheduled to return to the rotation on Sunday.
Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez have made their way back after a long injury list and the D-backs’ desired rotation in March with Zac Gallen, Kelly, Rodriguez, Brandon Pfaadt and Jordan Montgomery is now a reality.
However, Nelson has done everything he can to get into the starting lineup. Montgomery signed a $25 million contract with the pedigree of an experienced and reliable starter. However, Nelson has been the more effective starter this season.
On Friday, Lovullo said the club had scrapped the idea of a six-man rotation, providing some clarity while many questions remain about what comes next. Lovullo did not reveal what role Nelson will play going forward or whether he will start next time out.
“We’ve had this conversation (about the six-man rotation) in my office for the last hour,” Lovullo said Friday. “We want to play this out as much as possible before we have to make that decision. When you get to that point and make such difficult decisions, you need a lot of depth.”
“…I think that’s maybe one thing we’ve eliminated today.”
Deputy Director General Mike Fitzgerald said Wolf & Luke by Arizona Sports on Thursday that the club “has not liked a six-man rotation in the past”.
“We’re going to try to be creative and make sure we have the 13 best guys throwing for us,” Fitzgerald said.
Nelson threw 7.1 innings with two earned runs and nine strikeouts on Friday to defeat Phillies All-Star Zack Wheeler in a 3-2 victory.
Since the beginning of June – 13 games – Nelson has a 3.72 ERA and a 3.30 FIP. The D-backs have won 10 of the 13 games. He has established himself as one of the 13 pitchers Arizona will count on in the final stages of this championship race.
Does he fit better in the bullpen when Montgomery is in the rotation than vice versa, considering Nelson has been there before, most notably in last fall’s World Series? Montgomery has made three relief appearances since 2017, including in the postseason.
Montgomery is a World Series champion and has been a reliable option for years, but this has been what he considers the toughest season of his career. He has a 6.37 ERA (4.60 FIP) and Arizona is 5-5 in its last 10 games.
Lovullo said Burns & Gambo by Arizona Sports At this time last week, the club had not discussed moving him to the bullpen, although further talks have taken place since then.
Montgomery has a $20 million player option for 2025 that increases to $22.5 million if he makes another start and to $25 million if he makes six more starts this year. His last two outings have also been well received by the club.
The Diamondbacks entered Saturday’s division qualifiers as the second wild-card spot, just 3.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“I say every time we get into this area and have to make these tough decisions, it means we’re a good organization,” Lovullo said Friday. “We’ve been trying to figure out how to make the decision that will help us win as many games as possible. That’s the bottom line. We’re getting ready to go into the second, third week of August. It’s time to get going.”
The time for a decision has come and Nelson’s outstanding last start makes it all the more difficult to maintain the status quo the club had envisioned.
