Torey Lovullo faces an uphill battle as pitching injuries haunt the Diamondbacks
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For much of the offseason, Arizona Diamondbacks fans were left wondering what direction their team was taking. They were rumored to be ready to trade Ketel Marte, but instead kept him and traded with the St. Louis Cardinals to acquire Nolan Arenado.
However, that is not the only thing the front office did over the winter. They re-signed Zac Gallen, signed Merrill Kelly, Michael Soroka, Carlos Santana, and several relief pitchers.
While fans are excited about the new names, there are some injury concerns for the club. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is on the 15-day IL, while Tyler Locklear is right there with him and isn't expected to return until mid-May.
MORE: Diamondbacks trade proposal sends Ketel Marte to Red Sox for .774 OPS speedster
Torey Lovullo faces an uphill battle as pitching injuries haunt the Diamondbacks
While there are some injuries on the offensive side of things, there are far more on the pitching side. Corbin Burnes is on the 60-day IL. Merrill Kelly is on the 15-day IL, Blake Walston is on the 60-day IL, and Cristian Mena is listed as questionable to start the season with shoulder discomfort.
In the bullpen, A.J. Puk is on the 60-day IL, and so is Justin Martinez.
So, with all of these injuries, Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly is not too sure what to make of this team heading into the new season.
"Lovullo has shown an ability to get the most out of his teams, and with Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo anchoring his lineup, this is going to be a competitive team. They just have too much working against them in terms of pitching injuries."
Arizona does have an exciting lineup that should produce, but they are behind the 8-ball in terms of pitching. They have too many key contributors trying to battle their way off the IL, and when they return, there is no telling how they will look.
This season could be quite the challenging one for the D-Backs.
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