Burnes says his shoulder was “simply tired.”

Burnes had been scheduled to make one final start in the season finale on Sunday, but he’ll instead hit the injured list. The 31-year-old hurler wound up making three starts in his return from Tommy John surgery, posting a 7.84 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and an 8/4 K/BB ratio over 10 1/3 innings. The shoulder issue will add to the uncertainty in his fantasy value heading into the 2027 campaign.

All of the runs came on third-inning homers from Heliot Ramos, George Lombard Jr. and Spencer Jones. Burnes averaged 92.7 and 92.5 mph with his cutter in his first two starts back from Tommy John, but he was at 90.9 mph today. With the D-backs likely to be eliminated soon, Burnes might be shut down ahead of his scheduled weekend start against the Padres.

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 gave up two hits, walked two and struck out two. He threw 57 pitches in what was his first start since June of last year. After throwing 53 pitches in his final minor rehab start, it would’ve been nice to see him throw more on Tuesday. Still only 31-years-old and with an excellent track record, Burnes is difficult to completely trust in fantasy leagues until he’s able to work deeper into games. He’s lined up to face the Marlins at home next week.

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.