D-backs Learn Valuable Lesson from Handling Eduardo Rodriguez Injury

Torey Lovullo give injury updates prior to the start of Monday night's game against the Dodgers

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez reacts after allowing a home run to Texas Rangers / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY

Flying back to Phoenix last night, Torey Lovullo was having a discussion with his staff about all of the injuries the team has endured. As spring training wound down it looked like the Diamondbacks had managed to get through it without any major injuries. Then suddenly just before the season started starter Eduardo Rodriguez and then closer Paul Sewald went down with injury.

As the season opened one by one additional players kept being added to the injured list to the point where there are now nine Diamondbacks out of commission. No injury has been more vexing and perhaps tinged with more regret and second-guessing than the handling of the Rodríguez injury. He suffered a shoulder strain, also described as a lat strain a week before the season opened.

Surprisingly Rodriguez began a throwing program just a week later but ultimately suffered a setback. Transferred to the 60-day IL on April 17th, he is still stuck in the "treatment phase" and has not resumed throwing. He is eligible to come off the IL on May 25th, but it seems like it will be longer than that. Asked if in hindsight allowing him to start throwing so soon after the initial injury was a mistake Lovullo acknowledged as much.

"That was part of the discussion I had on the airplane last night. I think we all learned a very valuable lesson. The Athlete felt great, he looked great, he knew his body. We were using our instincts and his, and it just was probably a little bit too soon. We may have gone a little bit too fast with E-Rod and we'll learn from that."

#Dbacks manager Torey Lovullo learned a valuable lesson in the handling of the Eduardo Rodríguez injury situation.

Full Story: https://t.co/wvd5hpGvsU pic.twitter.com/IMtARUSDqK

— Michael McDermott (@MichaelMcDMLB) April 30, 2024

Rodriguez will get further imaging before he resumes throwing again. He had not received imaging prior to starting his throwing program the first time. Lovullo insisted they won't make that mistake again. He also went to great lengths attempting to explain that the healing process and the ramp-up period often overlap and that it's something that needs to be "thinly sliced".

Allowing a pitcher to begin throwing too soon may not have been limited to just Rodriguez however. Paul Sewald, who started the year on the IL with a Grade 2 Oblique strain, recently had a setback as well. Sewald had begun throwing somewhat sooner than expected, based on the typical downtime for such an injury.

He experienced soreness in the oblique last week and the team had to hit the pause button on his return. He will throw a bullpen on Wednesday however, with the goal of getting him into a rehab game a short time after that. According to Lovullo

"Paul is healing, he has healed substantially despite the fact that we've been continuing to ramp him up. He is just not completely healed. That's really what it comes down to. He's very close. "

Zac Gallen (Right Hamstring Cramp) threw a bullpen today, but as of the Lovullo press conference he had not yet heard a report. Pre bullpen the two spoke and Gallen said he felt good and believed everything would be ok. Wednesday's starter is still listed as TBA

Ryne Nelson, (Right Elbow Contusion) threw a simulation game Monday, five innings and 70 pitches. He reported zero pain and was able to get full extension with no lingering effects from the injury.

Kyle Nelson, (Left Shoulder Inflammation) is in Texas seeing vascular surgery specialist Dr. Gregory Pearl. That is the same doctor who performed Thoracic Outlet Surgery on Merrill Kelly in 2020. Lovullo was not willing to make any assumptions or announcements about a potential surgery for Nelson.

Alek Thomas (right hamstring strain) was supposed to play in an Arizona Complex League game but was feeling under the weather and did not make that appearance.

Merrill Kelly, (Right Shoulder Strain) is in the treatment phase and not close to throwing before he has another MRI in a week or two at the earliest.

Miguel Castro and Luis Frias (both with right shoulder inflammation) are all still in the treatment phase from their injuries as well but should begin throwing programs later this week.

Geraldo Perdomo (Torn Meniscus in right knee) is still in the treatment phase and not yet ready to begin baseball activities.