Eduardo Rodriguez Injury Update: Diamondbacks veteran pitcher to open season on IL with left lat strain

The Arizona Diamondbacks will have to wait until debuting one of their biggest offseason signings Eduardo Rodriguez. The veteran left-handed pitcher will open the 2024 campaign on the injured list for the Diamondbacks as he recovers from a left lat strain.

"Eduardo Rodriguez has a left lat strain and is going to be shut down from throwing, manager Torey Lovullo said. He will open the season on the injured list." - @nickpiecoro

It is a disappointing update for both Eduardo Rodriguez and the Arizona Diamondbacks as the veteran is expected to play a key role for the team. After falling to the Texas Rangers in the World Series last season, the D-Backs were looking to improve in a number of areas, including starting pitching, something that Rodriguez was expected to help with.

It remains unclear how long Rodriguez will be sidelined, however, lat injuries can be unpredictable. Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo recent spoke to the media, saying that the team would keep him shut down until he is healthy. "We’re going to assess it daily and then build it out from there. The return will be determined by the length of time that he’s down."

"Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Eduardo Rodriguez has a lat strain. “He’s going to be shutdown from throwing until he’s asymptomatic.”" - @AZSports

The injury seems to have occurred during Tuesday's Spring Training action when the veteran exited his start for the Diamondbacks after only one inning of work. Prior to being shutdown with his current injury, Eduardo Rodriguez had appeared in 9.0 innings for his new club, posting a 0-1 record with an 8.00 ERA and 11 strikeouts.

The Arizona Diamondbacks will have plenty of options to replace Eduardo Rodriguez in the rotation as he recovers

While the left-handed veteran was expected to play a key role behind Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, the club will now need to look elsewhere to round out their rotation. If the Diamondbacks decide to fill the void from within the organization, they will likely turn to some of their young arms such as Brandon Pfaadt or Ryne Nelson.

"Jordan Montgomery on a one year" - @paulyschu

That being said, if Rodriguez's injury proves to be more severe than first expected, they could look to sign a veteran pitcher in free agency. There are a number of notable veterans without clubs right now, including Jordan Montgomery, Trevor Bauer, Noah Syndergaard, and Johnny Cueto.