Diamondbacks' Andrew Saalfrank: Sidelined 10-plus months
Rotowire
Saalfrank (shoulder) said Wednesday that he expects to be sidelined 10-16 months, Arizona Sports reports.
Saalfrank underwent surgery Monday to repair the left labrum in his shoulder and has already been placed on the 60-day injured list. The rehab timeline gives the lefty a chance to be ready for the start of the 2027 season, but it is not a given.
... See More... See Less
Diamondbacks' Andrew Saalfrank: Placed on 60-day IL
Rotowire
The Diamondbacks placed Saalfrank (shoulder) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.
A spot on the 40-man roster was needed for the addition of Carlos Santana. Saalfrank will miss the entire 2026 season after undergoing surgery Monday to repair the left labrum in his shoulder. It's unclear whether he will be ready for the beginning of the 2027 campaign.
... See More... See Less
Diamondbacks' Andrew Saalfrank: Undergoes shoulder surgery
Rotowire
Saalfrank will miss the entire 2026 season after undergoing left shoulder surgery Monday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.
Saalfrank dealt with left shoulder fatigue this past September, and while he was cleared of structural damage at the time, subsequent testing evidently revealed the need for surgery. Specifics of Monday's operation aren't yet clear, but the loss of Saalfrank is a hit to a Diamondbacks bullpen already low on quality arms. The southpaw posted a 1.33 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 19:8 K:BB across 27 innings of work for Arizona in 2025.
... See More... See Less
Diamondbacks' Andrew Saalfrank: Nursing shoulder fatigue
Rotowire
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Monday that Saalfrank is dealing with left shoulder fatigue, Diamondbacks on SI reports.
Lovullo intimated that he knew Saalfrank wasn't 100 percent when he used him during Friday's game in Minnesota, but the skipper felt it was an emergency situation and Saalfrank "gave us what he could." Saalfrank allowed one walk in one-third of an inning and was charged with a blown save in the appearance. Lovullo also indicated that Saakfrank would undergo imaging just to make sure he's not dealing with anything beyond fatigue. Consider the lefty reliever day-to-day at this point. Saalfrank has picked up three saves as part of the Diamondbacks' closer by committee. Kyle Backhus, Jake Woodford and Taylor Rashi have each registered one save for Arizona this month.
... See More... See Less
Diamondbacks' Andrew Saalfrank: Records blown save Saturday
Rotowire
Saalfrank was charged with a blown save in Saturday's 10-7 loss against the Rockies. He allowed two runs on two hits over two-thirds of an inning.
The southpaw entered in the eighth inning with a one-run lead, one out and two runners in scoring position, and he promptly gave up the lead by allowing a two-run single to Kyle Farmer. A few batters later, Saalfrank served up a two-run homer to Tyler Freeman. Saalfrank came into Saturday's outing with a sparkling 0.64 ERA through 14 innings on the season, but some regression was inevitable -- after Saturday's performance, he carries a 1.84 ERA to go along with a 1.16 WHIP.
... See More... See Less
Diamondbacks' Andrew Saalfrank: Earns first big-league save
Rotowire
Saalfrank delivered a perfect ninth inning Wednesday to record the save in a 6-4 victory over the Rangers.
With Jalen Beeks unavailable after pitching Tuesday and Kyle Backhus working in the seventh inning, it was Saalfrank who got the call for the save after Arizona took the lead with four runs in the top half of the ninth inning. The left-hander got the job done, setting down the top of the Rangers order to earn his first major-league save. The 27-year-old Saalfrank has been impressive since rejoining the Diamondbacks in early July. He's allowed just one run while striking out nine in his first 14 MLB innings this year, establishing himself as a high-leverage option down the stretch.
... See More... See Less
Diamondbacks' Andrew Saalfrank: Reinstated, sent to rookie ball
Rotowire
The Diamondbacks reinstated Saalfrank (suspension) from the ineligible list and optioned him to the rookie-level Arizona Complex League on Thursday.
Saalfrank will take back a spot on the Diamondbacks' 40-man roster and will be available to compete again after he served a one-year suspension stemming from violations of MLB's gambling policy. Before he was handed the ban last June, Saalfrank appeared in two games out of the Arizona bullpen but had otherwise pitched exclusively at Triple-A Reno, where he logged a 2.63 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 28:10 K:BB in 24 innings. Since he wasn't able to pitch in any rehab games while he was suspended, Saalfrank will ease back into action in rookie ball before likely reporting back to Reno within the next few weeks.
