Corbin Burnes strikes out two in 2026 debut Tuesday

Making his second start since Tommy John, Burnes allowed three runs in the second and then back-to-back homers to Jakob Marsee and Javier Sanoja in the fourth before eventually departing down 5-4. His cutter was a pretty steady 93 mph early in the game, but it fell off to 91.5 mph in the fourth and fifth. If the regular season were extended by a month, Burnes might be a viable mixed-league starter in October, but the only way we’d know for sure is if the D-backs advance. Burnes should face the Yankees on Sunday.

Burnes takes the ball against the Royals for his first start since June 1, 2025. The 31-year-old’s likely midseason return from last year’s Tommy John surgery was delayed by a teres major muscle strain. The 31-year-old former fantasy ace is probably going to be on a pitch count in his return to the majors, but he threw 53 pitches in his final minor league rehab outing, so it shouldn’t be overly restrictive. It’s challenging to trust Burnes right away in shallow mixed leagues, but his lengthy track record suggests that he’s a worthwhile option in deeper fantasy leagues.

It’s happening. Burnes will make his long-awaited return to Arizona’s rotation after missing most of the last two seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery. The 31-year-old former fantasy ace shouldn’t have any significant workload restrictions since he threw 53 pitches in his final rehab outing in the minors last week. It would be surprising if Burnes provided a massive fantasy impact given how much time he’s missed, but he’s capable of helping out in deeper mixed leagues. It’s a nice matchup right out of the gate against a Kansas City lineup that ranks 21st in runs scored this season.

Burnes, who reportedly hit 93 mph during this latest session, has continued steadily increasing his pitch count after making a minor league rehab start for Triple-A Reno last weekend. The 31-year-old is roughly 15 months removed from Tommy John surgery and a teres major muscle strain that cropped up during his rehabilitation process. There’s a chance he returns to the majors to take the ball at some point during Arizona’s three-game series against the Royals next week. There should be additional clarity on his next steps before the end of the weekend. Simply put, he’s close. Given his track record, Burnes is worthy of a speculative roster spot in deeper mixed leagues.

There was some optimism that Burnes would jump into Arizona’s rotation this week after tossing two perfect innings for Triple-A Reno over the weekend. However, he’s going to need at least a few more rehab outings to continue building up his pitch count and stamina before the Diamondbacks consider bringing him back.

The 31-year-old right-hander was perhaps too efficient in this one, as he only needed 17 pitches (10 strikes) to retire all six batters that he faced, four of them on ground outs. He’s going to need at least a few more of these minor league tune-ups before he’s ready to join the Diamondbacks’ rotation down the stretch.

The 31-year-old hurler has finally made it all the way back from Tommy John surgery and is ready for live game action. Barring any setbacks, he should make a couple of starts at the MLB level down the stretch, though with the inconsistency and workload limitations that should be expected upon his return he’s not necessarily going to be a strong option from a fantasy perspective.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said that Burnes was up to 93 mph in the abbreviated outing and could make an appearance for Triple-A Reno, or somewhere else due to the recent wildfires in the area, later this week. The 31-year-old former ace could potentially continue building up his stamina and pitch count in the majors during the final month of the season, which means that fantasy managers shouldn’t anticipate a ton of volume.

It’s technically a bridge league game in the Arizona Complex League where the Diamondbacks have control over the environment. Technically, it won’t be a minor league rehab start, but both Burnes and Gallen should be able to get their work in. Burnes is aiming for 25 pitches over one inning, while Gallen is targeting up to 50 pitches over three innings, per Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo. It seems like both starters have a chance to make it back during the final month of the season, which would provide a lift for Arizona’s rotation mix that just lost Michael Soroka to a shoulder issue.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo indicated that Burnes could return shortly after the beginning of September, which gives him a chance to make a handful of starts over the final month. The 31-year-old former fantasy ace would’ve returned from Tommy John surgery sometime around midseason had he not suffered a shoulder injury during his rehabilitation process.