Tommy Henry "Fully Healthy," Looking Ahead to 2024

The young left-hander is rested and ready to go next season

Tommy Henry showed signs of becoming a reliable starter in 2023. Despite having his fair share of struggles on an unstable D-backs rotation, Henry performed very well at times, pitching to a decent 4.15 ERA in 2023 while being asked to fill the #2 starter role behind ace Zac Gallen for a portion of the season.

Henry's season was unfortunately cut short after just 89 innings when, following a shaky month of starts, he landed on the Injured List, from where he would never emerge.

Thankfully, the injury did not require surgery, and Henry says he was given the green light towards the end of last year. 

Henry said he and the D-backs treated the end of 2023 "like a normal off-season," and after spending time off with his family in Michigan, the southpaw came back ready to attack the coming year, taking only a couple weeks completely off throwing.

"I feel fully healthy, it was a great off-season, really productive. I'm fired up to be back here," Henry said.

During an exciting 2023 playoff run, manager Torey Lovullo hinted that Henry could potentially return in a bullpen role in the postseason. And in early October, ahead of the NLCS, the left-hander did face live batters in an intrasquad simulation game at Chase Field.

"I treated that like a game day," said Henry, "I wanted to see how my body felt with adrenaline, with full preparation in the closest game-like setting I could get to, and it stood the test, it felt good."

But that would be Henry's only October action. For some, sitting on the bench watching your team compete in a World Series might be a hardship, but the young starter took it in stride and fully enjoyed the experience.

"Unfortunate, for sure. You want to be on the field and be a part of it. But it’s as awesome as it can get," said Henry, "Seeing the team, seeing the city, seeing the organization reach heights that it hadn’t been to in a little while was amazing, and I think that really brings a group of people together."

Henry noted that to him, it wasn't about being disappointed for himself. Rather than selfishly dwell on the fact that he couldn't contribute on the field, he enjoyed playing the observer.

Arizona's rotation was plagued by injuries and poor play in 2023, but the addition of left-hander Eduardo Rodríguez and the rise of rookie right-hander Brandon Pfaadt leaves just the final starting slot up in the air.

Although no official decision has been confirmed, Henry is currently set to fill the hole as the fifth Diamondbacks starter, helping bring balance to a righty-dominated group.

Ahead of 2024, the D-backs will look for their rotation to have more stability than they experienced in the 2023 season, and the young southpaw knows he needs to be more consistent and durable in his third season of major league action. Sustaining solid, more efficient outings without injury will be key for the 26-year old starter.

"I think ultimately continuing to build a routine that allows me to be the most consistent, and produce the highest quality at the highest consistency that I can, so that I'm the best version of myself every five days as often as I can be," Henry said, when asked what he wanted to carry into the 2024 season with him.

"So it’s building a routine for me, that keeps me healthy and able to do that for 34 starts, while performing at my best."

Henry has yet to pitch a full season of action, but if his routine does foster the consistency needed to for him to take the next step, Arizona's starting rotation will be in much better shape than it was during Henry's IL stint.

Diamondbacks 2023 Player Reviews: Tommy Henry