Ryne

Nelson

Nelson was activated off the 15-day IL Thursday, and instead of being used as a piece of the rotation, the 26-year-old will add depth and a multi-inning option in relief. It’s possible Nelson could start if the Diamondbacks make the postseason, but at this point it makes more sense for him to work out of the ‘pen until the start of the 2025 season.

Nelson was placed on the injured list earlier this month with shoulder inflammation. He’s 4-0 with a 3.39 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 66 strikeouts in 61 innings over 10 starts in the second half. Arizona is getting a key member of its rotation back right before the playoffs.

There’s no real time to be patient with this one; Nelson has been excellent the last couple of months and the D-backs are going to need him in October, should they advance. How he feels after throwing tomorrow will go a long way towards determining whether the team will get him back.

Nelson must have picked up the injury Sunday or at some point during his work before his scheduled start over the weekend. The 26-year-old will likely miss the rest of the regular season and the D-Backs will hope he can help them out if/when the team qualifies for the postseason.

Nelson was handed an 8-0 lead after three, but the Astros got to him for two runs in the fourth and three in the fifth, causing him to be pulled an out shy of qualifying for the win. Nelson’s streak of quality starts was snapped at five. He’ll likely make his next start Sunday against the Brewers.

Let the record show that if Jordan Montgomery had only been a very little less bad, Nelson would be in the pen right now. As is, he’s turned in five straight quality starts and nine in his last 11 outings. He hasn’t had a truly bad start since June 26, when he dropped to 5-6 with a 5.69 ERA. He’s 5-0 with a 2.76 ERA since. He’s due to pitch in Houston next.

Nelson held New York’s lineup to just solo homers by Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor and managed to work into the seventh inning of this one. He struck out four and didn’t hand out a free pass. The 26-year-old righty has looked extremely sharp since the All-Star break, allowing two earned runs or fewer in five of his last seven outings during that span. He’ll square off against the Giants on Tuesday at Oracle Park in his next outing.

Nelson moved to 4-0 with a 2.84 ERA and a 59/11 K/BB in his last nine starts. The D-backs have kept flirting with the idea of moving him back to the bullpen, even though he’s been thoroughly outpitching Jordan Montgomery, but he’s in the rotation for good now. He’s due to face the Mets next Thursday.

That means that Ryne Nelson will deservedly keep his spot in the Diamondbacks’ rotation as the club moves back to five-man rotation. Montgomery has struggled to a cringe-inducing 6.44 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and a 67/36 K/BB ratio over 95 innings in 19 starts on the season. He wasn’t really viable from a fantasy perspective in the rotation and he certainly won’t be as a long man out of the D’Backs’ bullpen.

If he isn’t used out of the bullpen on Wednesday though, then the 26-year-old right-hander will start on Friday as the team utilizes a six-man rotation for at least one more trip. Nelson has been terrific as of late, registering a 2.72 ERA over his last nine outings.