What happened to Corbin Burnes during Nationals game? Everything you need to know about the Diamondbacks ace's injury

The Arizona Diamondbacks won against the Washington Nationals on Sunday, but that win came at a cost as ace Corbin Burnes went down with an injury, exiting the game prematurely.

Corbin Burnes complained of an elbow issue during the fifth inning of Sunday's clash and was eventually taken off the game. Before his exit, Burnes pitched 4.2 innings, conceding one run over four hits and striking out six Nationals hitters.

His start helped the Nationals to a much-needed 3-1 win, avoiding a sweep against Washington. Following the win in the series finale, Burnes revealed the reason behind his exit.

“It just got to the point where the tightness was just too much,” Burnes said. “I waved them out and didn't feel like we needed to push any farther. So hopefully, we caught it early. Hopefully, it's not bad, but we'll see.”

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Corbin Burnes signed a six-year, $210 million free agent contract with the Diamondbacks and has been Arizona's best starter with a 3-2 record and 2.66 ERA.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo reflects on Corbin Burnes' early exit

The news of Corbin Burnes' injury will worry Diamondbacks fans. While Burnes is headed for an MRI scan on Monday, manager Torey Lovullo reflected on his ace's potential injury.

“It's a gut punch, for sure,” Lovullo said. “He’s tough and he rarely complains about anything. So when you see him wave the trainer and the coaches out there, you're just holding your breath and it's tough. It's very tough. We're with [Burnes], and we’ll be as positive as possible.

"If it is the worst-case news, we have guys who are ready to step in, and we're very capable of putting people in there to help us win baseball games. But still, I'm with Corbin right now, and it's definitely a gut punch.”

The Diamondbacks have been hit by several injuries this season with Jordan Montgomery (Tommy John surgery), Eduardo Rodríguez (shoulder), and reliever A.J. Puk (elbow).

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash