Burnes (elbow) could make his season debut for the Diamondbacks on Tuesday in Kansas City, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reports.
Burnes suffered a setback this June in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, but he's progressed well since resuming a throwing program in July. The right-hander tossed two perfect innings on 17 pitches in his first rehab start with Triple-A Reno on Aug. 29, and after throwing a bullpen Tuesday he was slated to work a bridge game Thursday to further build his stamina. It's unclear how many pitches Burnes threw Thursday, but he would be quite limited from a workload perspective if he were activated to face the Royals. Once Burnes is officially tapped to return, he'll be making his first appearance in the big leagues in more than 15 months.