The Arizona Diamondbacks have seen the return of nearly every one of their injured impact players in recent weeks - hitters and pitchers alike. Of those who are capable of making their return, right-hander Ryne Nelson is, for the moment, the last man left to come back.
Nelson went down with an elbow injury back in mid-June , suffering a flexor strain and UCL sprain. Though it has cost him much more of his season than perhaps initially expected, it was a minor-enough issue to not require the dreaded Tommy John surgery procedure.
Nelson has already begun a rehab assignment. He pitched a clean inning for the Class-A Visalia Rawhide back on September 5, then transferred to Triple-A Reno to throw another scoreless frame on September 8.
There was a possibility Nelson might return as soon as this series against the Rangers, but that will not be the case. The Diamondbacks have other plans for Nelson, and for a specific reason.
Jun 4, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Ryne Nelson (19) throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the second inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Lovullo, speaking to reporters ahead of first pitch on Friday, said that Nelson will be going back out for another rehab appearance with the Aces. Nelson will do so on Saturday, which will all but rule him out for Arizona 's series against Texas . This could make him an option for the D-backs' three-game set against the Miami Marlins .
The reason? Arizona wants to see Nelson stretch out just a bit more.
The 28-year-old right-hander, who has plenty of relief experience in his career, will not be able to ramp up enough to rejoin the starting rotation. He will be returning in a bullpen role.
But the Diamondbacks do want to see him get an "up-down" in and throw a more lengthy outing. Arizona would prefer to see him able to provide a bit more than just one inning of coverage out of the bullpen, if needed.
"I spoke to him today, said he felt really good, but we want a one-plus [innings] and get him into that 25-30 pitch range in case there's a need for a one-plus [inning] outing," Lovullo said.
"He's gonna go again in Reno tomorrow and then beyond that we feel like he should have checked every box and then we'll make some adjustments to what what the next steps will be in getting him here as soon as possible."
Nelson has a 4.97 ERA this year - all as a starting pitcher. That has been inflated by a handful of uncharacteristically rough outings .
But Nelson has still been a weapon for Arizona over the past few seasons. The Diamondbacks just got Corbin Burnes back , as well as Zac Gallen and Michael Soroka . Arizona's pitching staff is slowly nearing full strength.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi as Diamondbacks Give Latest Injury Update on Ryne Nelson .
