At Monday’s locker cleanout at Chase Field, Corbin Burnes said his September troubles involved shoulder inflammation, said his teres major had healed and expressed hope that rest and a normal offseason would prepare him for next year. His 2026 return after Tommy John surgery in 2025 amounted to three appearances; MLB’s totals show 10.1 innings and a 7.84 ERA.
He could not make his scheduled start Saturday, when Arizona used a bullpen arrangement in a 10-7 loss to San Diego. His opt-out decision remains unresolved.
Burnes’ assessment is his to make, and optimism is not a flaw. It simply cannot be converted into a rotation forecast before there is clarity on whether he will remain with the Diamondbacks, and even then his workload would need to be established over time.
Any Arizona plan involving Burnes must begin with that condition: if he stays, what can the club responsibly expect early in 2027?
Eduardo Rodriguez supplied the strongest argument for valuing dependable innings without mistaking them for a guarantee. He made 32 starts, worked 189.2 innings and posted a 2.89 ERA. That is a substantial season, especially for a team that finished 86-76 and two games behind the final wild-card position.
Rodriguez did not merely occupy a rotation slot; he carried a large share of the staff’s schedule and gave Arizona a stable foundation through a long season.
His 16-7 record is less important than the workload and run prevention behind it. Rodriguez allowed 173 hits, walked 62 and struck out 143, finishing with a 1.24 WHIP. Those figures describe an effective starter who was not required to produce spotless innings to remain valuable.
Arizona should preserve the contribution that 189.2 innings represented while resisting the lazy assumption that the same total will automatically appear again.
Michael Soroka gives the Diamondbacks a credible piece to develop alongside that foundation. He made 21 starts and threw 116 innings with a 3.41 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. His 114 strikeouts against 29 walks support a meaningful role in the rotation conversation.
They do not, by themselves, answer how his workload should grow or what kind of assignment best suits him. Production can establish value without settling every question of role or durability.
Merrill Kelly shows why innings and quality must be evaluated separately. He made 29 starts and threw 162 innings, a workload Arizona plainly needed. His 4.94 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 70 walks also show that volume can come with a substantial cost when command and run prevention decline.
