Zac Gallen scratched due to elbow inflammation

Bratt was called up after it was revealed Saturday that Zac Gallen was being scratched. He struck out none and walked three today, throwing just 29 of his 58 pitches for strikes. The Diamondbacks, though, wound up winning 5-3 anyway, as six relievers all pitched scoreless innings behind him. It’s unclear if Bratt will stick around and start the second half in the rotation or return to Triple-A.

Bratt will start for the Diamondbacks against the Dodgers on Sunday in place of the injured Zac Gallen. The 23-year-old righty has made one start for the big league club this season, giving up one run and striking out three batters in just three innings of work. He may get an opportunity to stick around this time with Gallen out indefinitely.

Gallen was scratched from Sunday’s start against the Dodgers due to the issue with the expectation that he would also be placed on the injured list. The 30-year-old hurler has had an abysmal season for the Diamondbacks, registering a 6.34 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and a 61/31 K/BB ratio over 98 innings of work. There’s no clear timeline for his return.

Gallen’s woes continued against the Padres on Tuesday. San Diego got to him for four runs in the first inning, including a three-run homer by Jake Cronenworth. He’d settled in to give the Diamondbacks five more scoreless frames, ending his day after six with five strikeouts. The 30-year-old right-hander will take a 6.34 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, and a 61/31 K/BB ratio across 98 innings into a start against the Dodgers in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Gallen getting released by the D-backs when Michael Soroka comes off the IL has to be on the table at this point. He just isn’t showing MLB-quality stuff right now, and there’s nothing to suggest it’s about to change. Through 19 starts, Gallen has given up 116 hits versus 56 strikeouts. He’s surrendered 17 homers in 92 innings. In 2022, he gave up 15 in exactly twice as many innings (184). His velocity hasn’t changed much, so maybe there’s still hope for a turnaround. Still, this is a Triple-A pitcher right now. He’s due to face the Padres next.

Gallen, who failed to strike out a batter on Friday, ran into trouble early in this one. A walk to Yandy Díaz in the first inning was followed by him hitting Jonathan Aranda with a pitch to put runners on first and second. In the next at-bat, Gallen was taken 455 feet to center field by Junior Caminero to give the Rays a 3-1 lead before Gallen could record an out. Gallen would get through the next five innings without allowing a run, but was hit around again in the seventh inning, allowing a solo homer to Cedric Mullins while also giving RBI hits to Días and Aranda. The righty continues to struggle as he now falls to 3-7 on the season and finds himself sitting on a 6.15 ERA at the end of June. He’ll look to turn things around in his next start, which is scheduled for Wednesday against the Giants.

The game will be made up on July 23. Expect Thursday’s scheduled starters — Michael McGreevy and Zac Gallen — to pitch on Friday for their respective ballclubs.

Bratt made his big league debut against the Cardinals on Wednesday, allowing just one run over three strong innings of work. If he’s going to return to make another start against the Giants on Monday, the Diamondbacks would need to have someone land on the injured list. Juan Burgos was recalled from Triple-A Reno in a corresponding move on Thursday to add a fresh arm to the team’s bullpen.

Bratt had made just one appearance for Triple-A Reno after opening this month on the IL, so it was a short start tonight. Fortunately, he was effective in striking out three in the 54-pitch outing. He’ll likely stick around and face the Giants on Monday.

The 22-year-old Bratt will be making his major league debut when he starts against the Cardinals today. He had a 2.84 ERA for Reno, which is quite impressive, but he missed time at the beginning of month and faced a total of 14 batters in his one start since returning, allowing two runs in four innings.