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SCOTTSDALE — Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo announced his starting rotation entering the 2026 season on Saturday beyond Zac Gallen getting the Opening Day nod.
The rotation goes as follows:
Merrill Kelly will open the year on the 15-day injured list, which he hopes will be a minimum stint.
The D-backs can backdate his IL designation by three days to start the year, so he could return after the first 10 games of the campaign. What happens in the rotation when Kelly returns is to be determined.
“It’s gonna be Gallen, Nelson, E-Rod, Soroka and Pfaadt. … Merrill will start on the IL.”
Torey Lovullo announces the Diamondbacks’ starting rotation to start the 2026 season. pic.twitter.com/fDntaMVl0R
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) March 21, 2026
“It’s clear that Merrill Kelly just doesn’t have enough time to build up and start the season on the active roster,” Lovullo said. “Whatever his buildup is, it will continue. I don’t know what the timeline is on that.”
Soroka, who signed with the D-backs this offseason, will get the nod in Arizona’s home opener against Detroit. He will make his final spring start on Tuesday in Arizona’s exhibition game against the Cleveland Guardians at Chase Field.
Pfaadt will hang back in Arizona when the team travels to Los Angeles to make a backfields start in preparation for Game 2 against the Tigers.
Rodriguez will throw a backfields start on Monday.
The Diamondbacks opted for continuity in the rotation this offseason by bringing back Kelly and Gallen as free agents. Soroka is the sole newcomer — excluding Kelly, who was traded to Texas before free agency — and staff ace Corbin Burnes hopes to return in July.
“We feel really good about the five guys that we have there,” Lovullo said. “We know there’s a sixth with Merrill. Thank goodness we have that depth. … I love the experience that group has. They’re going to go out there and they’re going to be ready to compete.”
The club is counting on internal improvements to avoid another lackluster season on the mound. Gallen and Rodriguez were much better over the final two months of last season, while Pfaadt had some stellar outings but struggled with consistency. The three finished bottom 12 in ERA among 70 pitchers with 150 innings.
Gallen found some answers with his delivery late last year and has been throwing harder this spring, although he allowed three home runs in his final start Friday.
Rodriguez is coming off the performance of his life, tossing 4.1 shutout innings in the World Baseball Classic title game against the U.S., as Venezuela won the championship. Pfaadt has allowed one run in 10 Cactus League innings this spring, as he is working on tightening his slider, a strength in 2024 that turned into a weakness last year.
Nelson was excellent last season after moving into the rotation from an early long relief role, and Kelly remained a consistent presence in the rotation before getting traded last year. Nelson and Kelly were both top 25 pitchers in ERA among those with 150 innings.
The Diamondbacks will face World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Opening Day at Dodger Stadium. Yamamoto has a 1.93 ERA in six starts against Arizona.
The Tigers will start Justin Verlander on March 30, Opening Day at Chase Field. It will be Verlander’s first start for Detroit since the summer of 2017 when he was dealt to Houston. The 43-year-old made two starts against the D-backs last year for San Francisco, allowing two runs in 13 innings.
Casey Mize will get the second game at Chase Field with two-time Cy Young winner and Arizona native Tarik Skubal in line for the series finale.
Arizona Wildcats guard Brayden Burries looked right at home at the NCAA Tournament early on in Friday’s first-round matchup against Long Island.
The guard caught fire in a hurry, connecting on four of his first five three-pointers on his way to a game-leading 14 first-half points.
Brayden Burries is a PROBLEM 😤#MarchMadness @ArizonaMBB pic.twitter.com/WDNdwAO8LB
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 20, 2026
His only non-3-pointer? A rim-rocking dunk. Burries also added three rebounds, two assists and a block as the Wildcats took at 53-29 lead into halftime.
Burries continues to be a problem for opposing defenses in his first season as a Wildcat.
Heading into Friday’s game, the guard was averaging 15.9 points on 49.2% shooting and 36.7% from long range. He’s added 4.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.6 steals across 29.5 minutes per game.
He paced the Wildcats with 13 games of at least 20 points and is on his way to a 14th.
Burries’ efforts this season earned him All-American honorable mentions from the USBWA and Associated Press.
He’s also worked himself into the NBA Draft Lottery conversation. Earlier this month, The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie had Burries going 10th overall to the Chicago Bulls in his mock draft.
Royce O’Neale has been ruled out with left knee soreness for the Phoenix Suns’ matchup against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday.
Additionally, Grayson Allen (left knee soreness) and Haywood Highsmith (right knee injury management) are questionable.
Mark Williams (left foot third metatarsal stress reaction) and Dillon Brooks (left hand fracture) remain out.
O’Neale, who is missing his first game of the season on Thursday, is 9.9 points on 41.6% shooting and 40.3% from 3-point range, while registering 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. O’Neale scored nine points while registering two rebounds, two assists and three steals in Tuesday’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Allen, who missed Tuesday’s game due to left knee soreness, has missed 24 games this season due to various ailments, including a right quad contusion, illness and knee soreness. In 44 games, Allen is averaging 17.2 points on 40.7% shooting and 35.3% from 3-point range, while registering with 4.1 assists and three rebounds per game.
Suns-Spurs tips off from Frost Bank Center in San Antonio at 5 p.m. MST. Listen to the game on 98.7, ArizonaSports.com or the Arizona Sports app.
Following the legal tampering period and start to the new league year, we’re onto the next phase of the NFL offseason.
Roster construction continues but at a slower pace after the free agency frenzy last week and with the 2026 NFL Draft on the horizon.
The Arizona Cardinals brought in some key additions and rounded out a few position groups, headlined by running back and wide receiver. But they could still use upgrades at multiple positions ahead of the season.
A look at the biggest areas left to address — using both with an immediate and future scope — this offseason:
The Cardinals made sure to beef up the interior offensive line with the addition of Isaac Seumalo on a three-year deal.
They also brought back Elijah Wilkinson, who played guard for the franchise in 2023 but started every game at right tackle for Atlanta last year, on a one-year deal.
He’s bound to be in the mix for the starting role this year given the room’s makeup but is far from a long-term answer at the position.
That person has yet to walk through the doors at the team’s training facility. And that fact is a big reason why Arizona has been linked to Miami offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa and to a lesser extent Utah’s Spencer Fano this offseason.
The 6-foot-5, 329-pound Mauigoa was a consistent presence along the Miami offensive line the past three seasons and allowed just one sack in his final year with the program.
For a team looking for a bookend opposite Paris Johnson Jr., Mauigoa fits the bill.
Landing the big man is going to cost the Cardinals a pretty penny in the form of the No. 3 overall pick, but the reward could be well worth its high price.
Josh Sweat was in his bag last year, posting a career-high 12 sacks and four forced fumbles to go along with 13 tackles for loss and 17 QB hits.
The rest of the outside linebackers accounted for just 5.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss and 19 QB hits. Baron Browning was second in the room with two sacks, followed by Zaven Collins (1.5), Jordan Burch (one) and BJ Ojulari (one).
The drop-off from Sweat to the other pass rushers on the team was substantial, with new blood needed in 2026.
Landing a premium free-agent pass rusher seems out of the question just a year removed from the Sweat signing. Getting his next running mate in the draft is very much a possibility, though.
Texas Tech’s David Bailey and Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr. present two realistic options for Arizona to consider with the No. 3 overall pick. Ohio State’s Arvell Reese is in the mix, too, but presents more of a hybrid option at the position.
The pair of All-Americans, who both met with the Cardinals at the NFL Draft Combine, showed out in their final respective seasons in college, with Bailey posting high marks of 14.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss. He added to his draft resume with a strong combine showing.
The Cardinals could very well get their pick of the two when they’re on the clock at No. 3.
Adding either should give Arizona a much-needed boost off the edge.
There was no way I was going to leave this exercise without at least mentioning Arizona’s quarterback situation.
Sure, Arizona’s quarterbacks room looks about filled up with Jacoby Brissett expected to start this year, followed by recent signing Gardner Minshew and 2025 holdover Kedon Slovis.
In terms of 2026, the need is low for the position given the addition of Minshew. They could theoretically get through the year with that trio, though based on the fan reaction, that won’t sit well for many.
But from a long-term lens, quarterback still looms large.
The one known fact about the position? It’s not going to include former franchise quarterback Kyler Murray, who recently signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings as the second act of his career begins.
After that, it’s anyone’s guess as to who will take over as Arizona’s next franchise arm.
One way to potentially clear that up sooner rather than later is looking to this year’s draft for a possible solution.
Alabama’s Ty Simpson represents the top quarterback prospect not named Fernando Mendoza. He’s also not going to cost a No. 1 overall pick to get.
The quarterback is trending toward going late in the first round of the draft if not early in the second. If it’s the latter scenario, the Cardinals have the draft capital to nab the signal caller with the No. 34 overall pick (the second selection of the second round).
But even if Arizona has to maneuver its way back into the first round, the trade package likely won’t hurt the wallet. Pair the No. 34 pick with another piece of later-round draft capital and keep it moving. That is unless Simpson is being eyed more in the middle of the first round as ESPN’s Mel Kiper predicted in his most recent mock draft.
If the Cardinals are going to take a flier on a rookie quarterback this year without completely selling the farm, Simpson is atop the list.
Arizona could also take a look later in the draft at the Carson Becks, Drew Allars and Garrett Nussmeiers of the world and likely wouldn’t have to give up extra assets in landing either of them. Simpson, however, has more upside.
“I would love to be a Cardinal. I think that they’re a great organization,” Simpson told reporters during the NFL Draft Combine. “They got a young team and I would be super blessed to play for them.”
Arizona’s defensive line was anchored by Calais Campbell and his 6.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss and 16 QB hits last year.
The only problem? He’s currently a free agent with retirement very much an option.
2025 first-round pick Walter Nolen III flashed why he was taken on Day 1 of the draft but failed to stay healthy for a full season, headlined by a season-ending knee injury he’s still recovering from.
Nolen is squarely on the roster, but will he be good to go by Week 1? It’s unclear at this point.
Take those two out of the equation — even with the moves made this free agency — and more depth is needed.
Darius Robinson must take a step forward in Year 3. Dante Stills and L.J. Collier provided good rotation pieces, Roy Lopez could slide right back into his starting role along the inside and Jonah Williams brings some new flavor to the room.
But after those players, there isn’t much to work with for a defensive coordinator who loves to rotate defensive linemen regularly.
Mack Wilson Sr. and Cody Simon make up the top two options at inside linebacker this year. It’s also Wilson’s final year on his current contract. And while Simon got a lot of reps last season, he’s still got plenty to learn about the position at the NFL level.
Owen Pappoe is one of the more athletic players the Cardinals have on the roster but has struggled to carve out a bigger defensive role since coming aboard in 2023.
Jack Gibbens is coming off eight starts in 17 games played last year.
The need for another young addition is clearly there.
Ohio State’s Sonny Styles is getting a lot of love (and rightfully so) as the top inside linebacker prospect this NFL Draft. He, however, will not be there the next time Arizona is on the clock in the second round.
He’s an option to go No. 3 overall, though Francis Mauigoa and David Bailey are higher on the priorities list.
