Michael Soroka’s shoulder inflammation forces a depleted Arizona rotation to rely on rookie Gerardo Carrillo as the club fights to keep its postseason aspirations alive.
Absolutely nothing has come easy for the Arizona Diamondbacks this season, and despite all of that, they're still a true Wild Card contender.
Now, though, that road has gotten a lot more difficult.
MLB.com's Steve Gilbert revealed that right-handed pitcher Michael Soroka is heading to the Injured List due to right shoulder inflammation.
The last thing this team could afford to do is have another starting pitcher go down with an injury.
They've already been without Corbin Burnes, and while Zac Gallen wasn't at his best this season, they've certainly missed the veteran's presence.
Now, Soroka will join those two on the IL, and Gilbert reports that Gerardo Carrillo will replace him in the corresponding move.
Diamondbacks lose another starting pitcher
The D-backs' pitching staff is going to make-or-break their 2026 season, and at this point, it's trending towards the latter.
There are so many rookies and youngsters who are asked to eat up innings as this team simply has run out of options.
With only so many arms in the organization, they tried to bring in a veteran like Zack Littell, but very quickly realized that wasn't going to be a long-term solution.
Soroka was far from his sharpest Saturday night, and he's now given up eight earned runs in his last two starts. For reference, it took him six combined starts prior to those two to reach that point.
The 29-year-old has a strong 8-4 record, and while he just picked up a loss, his ERA still sits at 3.40 with a strong 1.16 WHIP.
The team has yet to announce Soroka's IL stint, but from what Gilbert has gathered, it shouldn't be a super lengthy one.
Obviously, they're waiting on reinforcements in Burnes and Gallen, but now Soroka joins that list as the D-backs have a strong trio waiting to come back, and once they do, the rest of the league should be put on notice.
Carrillo has been phenomenal
Carrillo, 27, hasn't started a game for Arizona this season, but he's thrown 13.2 innings in eight appearances.
His numbers are tremendous, and that's an understatement. The rookie is 2-1 on the year with a 0.66 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. His 0.7 WAR speaks volumes as to how much he's contributed despite not even making double-digit appearances this year.
Carrillo last pitched for the D-backs on Aug. 16, so it's not like he's been out of the equation for long. He hasn't given up a run since his first big-league appearance on July 22, so this was a no-brainer replacement, despite the fact that he isn't a starting pitcher.
