Mitch Bratt gives up five runs in loss to Nats

Bratt gave up eight hits, but only the solo homers from Joshua Kuroda-Grauer and Jacob Wilson mattered. He’s now made three starts for Arizona and allowed six runs in 10 2/3 innings. He’ll probably start again this weekend against the Nationals before having his rotation status revisited.

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.

He’s likely to go on the IL, with Mitch Bratt being called up to start in his place against the Dodgers. Gallen is just 3-9 with a 6.34 ERA through 19 starts this season. He’s been even worse while losing each of his last four starts, posting a 9.67 ERA and striking out just 11 in 22 1/3 innings. He’s on a one-year, $22.05 million contract after struggling to find a multiyear deal in free agency last winter.

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.

The youth movement continues in Arizona. Bratt has posted an encouraging 2.84 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 42/12 K/BB ratio across 44 1/3 innings across 11 starts for Triple-A Reno this season. The 22-year-old lefty came over as part of the Merrill Kelly trade with the Rangers last July. A wait-and-see approach seems preferable here, especially since he doesn’t miss enough bats to project as an impact fantasy option. However, Bratt is an intriguing arm with strong command and should have some runway in Arizona’s rotation with both Ryne Nelson (elbow) and Michael Soroka (glute) on the injured list.

The most interesting name among this batch of cuts for the Diamondbacks is Ryan Waldschmidt. He had started to gain some steam in fantasy circles as a sleeper candidate, but he was always facing an uphill battle at earning a spot on the Diamondbacks’ Opening Day roster. The 23-year-old hit .240 (6-for-25) with one homer, five RBI and one stolen base during Cactus League play. He should get an opportunity with the Snakes at some point in 2026.

Despite the increased traffic on the basepaths, Bratt allowed just one run on one hit on the afternoon while punching out two opposing hitters. The lone tally against him came as Akil Baddoo smacked a run-scoring single in the home half of the first inning. Bratt got just three swings and misses on 52 pitches on the day, posting an underwhelming CSW of only 19 percent. He’s on track to debut with the D’Backs at some point during the 2026 campaign.