PHOENIX – The Arizona Diamondbacks have decided to wait as long as possible before deciding what to do with the fifth rotation spot.
Jordan Montgomery will make his regular start on Wednesday against the Colorado Rockies. The Diamondbacks have informed Ryne Nelson that he should be ready to come out of the bullpen.
However, if Nelson is not needed as a reliever, the plan is to use him on Friday at the Tampa Bay Rays, Arizona’s next game after Thursday’s off day, manager Torey Lovullo said.
Lovullo has made it clear that the Diamondbacks do not want to use a six-man rotation. Since there are also days off in between, Arizona’s top starters sit on the bench for too long between appearances.
However, you could roll a six for one round since this decision has become difficult.
When asked if moving Montgomery to the bullpen had been discussed, Lovullo said they had “talked about every aspect of what we could possibly do.”
“We’re very flexible on that, he’ll be ready to pitch on Wednesday if he needs to, but we haven’t made that decision yet,” Lovullo said. “It depends on how we get there, what happens in the next two days. With an off day and a fully loaded bullpen, it doesn’t make sense to have length in the bullpen. He’ll give us a little protection until we make that decision.”
The Diamondbacks spent big money to start the season on one of the most impressive starting lineups on paper with Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Pfaadt and Montgomery. They signed Rodriguez and Montgomery as expensive free agents for a total of $45 million for 2024.
That quintet was incomplete all season until Kelly returned from the 60-day injured list on Sunday. There was a stretch when Pfaadt was the only healthy pitcher in that group.
Nelson has done his job admirably, becoming the Diamondbacks’ best pitcher in innings (77.1), strikeouts (64) and fWAR (1.7) since the start of June. He ranks sixth in the MLB in innings since June 1. In 13 appearances during that span, Nelson has a 3.72 ERA.
He also has experience in the bullpen, which is not the case with Montgomery, who has not been quite as successful on the mound this season with 0.5 fWAR.
Nelson was a reliever in college at Oregon — also a shortstop — and finished 10 games. Last season, he was a long reliever during the postseason when the D-backs reduced their rotation — and even used bullpen games instead of using Nelson as a starter.
Montgomery was a starter in college, the minor leagues and the major leagues. He came to Arizona with a career ERA of 3.68 and has posted a 6.37 ERA in 17 starts so far.
“We got a lot better when Merrill came back, so I think the team is getting better,” Nelson said. “So that’s the main thing, whatever it takes to go out there and win games. I think this is a really special team, and I love being on this team and being a part of it.”
“We have to make sure we are covered in every area so that we are confident we can win the game any way we can,” Lovullo said.
Nelson doesn’t seem interested in being the clean man in blowouts. His most notable appearance as a relief pitcher in the major leagues came during the World Series when the D-backs were already deep in the hole. He threw 5.1 innings with one earned run, saving the rest of the bullpen.
When he comes to the stable, Nelson wants to be given a chance to prove himself.
“I don’t want to just be the guy who throws innings when the game gets out of hand,” Nelson said. “When I’m in the bullpen, I want to have some big innings and be able to help win games … be an asset.”
