Zac Gallen left the game in the first inning of Thursday’s loss to the Mets with a right hamstring strain. The Diamondbacks have placed Gallen on the 15-day injured list and called up right-hander Slade Cecconi from Triple-A Reno.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Today's #Dbacks roster moves. pic.twitter.com/eaCarDNtRp
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) May 31, 2024
After the game, Gallen described the injury as “mild” and comparable to the right hamstring strain he suffered in 2021. That year, he spent two weeks on the injured list. John Gambadoro just reported that the Diamondbacks do not have the results of his MRI just yet, so they don’t know the severity.
Gallen on the 15-day IL for now, anything further will depend on the severity of the injury. Dbacks do not have MRI results back yet.
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) May 31, 2024
The injury is a further blow to the Diamondbacks rotation, which already is missing Merrill Kelly and Eduardo RodrÃguez. The three pitchers were expected to anchor the top of the starting rotation, but will all be out for at least the next two weeks, if not further. Young right-hander Brandon Pfaadt has stepped up this season, picking up right where he left off in the postseason, pitching to a 4.16 ERA/3.23 FIP in 11 starts. The decision to sign Jordan Montgomery is also looking shrewd at this point in the season, as the left-hander has given the Diamondbacks what they’ve needed in seven of their eight starts and is starting to round into form.
Cecconi will likely be asked to eat up innings out of the bullpen, a night after the bullpen was stretched to cover eight innings in an emergency situation. His last start with Reno was on Sunday, giving him four days’ rest entering this game, so he should be available to cover a lot of innings in the event of a short start by Montgomery. He’ll likely provide support for the bullpen while the team decides between Tommy Henry and Cristian Mena to start on Tuesday.
The Diamondbacks’ best options to replace Zac Gallen in the rotation
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks and Arizona Cardinals for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
