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:
- Zac Gallen at Dodgers on Thursday
- Ryne Nelson at Dodgers on Friday
- Eduardo Rodriguez vs. Dodgers on March 28
- Michael Soroka vs. Tigers on March 30
- Brandon Pfaadt vs. Tigers on March 31
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.”
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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.
Dodgers Opening Day starter
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.
Who will Diamondbacks face in their home opener?
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.
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