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The Arizona Diamondbacks’ worst nightmares came true on Friday.
The team announced on Friday that after leaving Sunday’s start with what they originally called elbow inflammation, their ace in Corbin Burnes will undergo Tommy John surgery.
Burnes is in his first season of a six-year, $210 million deal – it’s the richest contract ever given out by the Diamondbacks, and it was the second-most money given to a pitcher in the offseason, trailing only Max Fried’s $218 million over eight years.
It’s also the fourth-most money ever given to a pitcher, behind Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s $325 million over 12 years he got before last season, and the nine-year, $324 million deal Gerrit Cole (also recovering from Tommy John) signed for after 2019.
Arizona led 3-0 in the top of the fifth inning when Burnes allowed a single by CJ Abrams with two outs. The right-hander then gestured toward the dugout with his glove and yelled in frustration.
Burnes allowed a run and four hits in 4 2/3 innings, with a walk and six strikeouts. He will finish his season with a 3-2 record and a 2.66 ERA in 11 starts this season.
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Burnes has become one of the game’s best pitchers, having finished in the top-eight of the Cy Young Award vote in each year since 2020. He won the award in 2021 after leading the majors with a 2.43 ERA and 12.6 K/9.
Since he became a full-time starter in 2020, Burnes’ 2.86 ERA is the second-lowest in baseball among starters with at least 500 innings pitched, behind only Fried’s 2.70.
The surgery could likely leave Burnes on the shelf until 2027.
The 30-year-old has been very durable over the past several years. He’s made at least 28 starts in every season since he won the Cy Young Award.
Burnes spent his first six seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers before being traded to the Baltimore Orioles, where he stayed only for the 2024 season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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