Corbin Burnes was the prize of the offseason for the Arizona Diamondbacks, but their fans will have to wait until the fifth game of the regular season to see him pitch in a meaningful game.
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo admitted Sunday that Burnes’ debut will be delayed because he made a miscalculation with the pitcher’s spring training schedule. Burnes had originally been lined up as a potential Opening Day starter, but when Arizona instead gave that assignment to Zac Gallen, Burnes’ schedule was thrown off.
“This was probably a tactical error on my part. I’ll take the responsibility for that,” Lovullo told reporters. “Corbin is a very routine-oriented player, and I had yet to understand that until recently. He’s got a process and I respect that and I blame myself for not getting to know him, how important the routine is. … He is elite in this space. It took me a little time to figure that out.
“When we stepped into a space where we had to make an adjustment, that he wasn’t going to start Opening Day, we had to recalibrate and get him on the right routine. I respect that 100 percent.”
Torey Lovullo blames himself for Corbin Burnes not starting until the Dbacks fifth game of the season.
— Jake García (@Jake_M_Garcia) March 23, 2025
Here's his full explanation on the scheduling mishap.
"I was really suffering through this whole process because I wanted to do what's right by the player."@12SportsAZ pic.twitter.com/eybVqDU7eJ
The Diamondbacks open the season on March 27 against the Chicago Cubs, while Burnes made his final spring start on March 21. That would have aligned him to pitch the opener on five days’ rest. Arizona could have had Burnes pitch the second game of the season with an additional day of rest, but Burnes actually prefers to throw on four days’ rest, so the Diamondbacks did not want to go that route.
Burnes is expected to pitch in a backfield game this week to keep him on schedule. He will then make his regular season debut on the road against the New York Yankees on April 1.
The Diamondbacks made a huge offseason investment in Burnes and will want to keep him happy. Both parties are adjusting to each other, and Lovullo appears to have underestimated just how exacting Burnes is when it comes to his rest schedule. It is not an issue that comes up often, and it might wind up costing Burnes a start this season in the long run.
