"Diamondbacks left-hander Andrew Saalfrank underwent shoulder surgery this morning and will miss the entire 2026 season, reports Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. The team has not yet announced the injury or provided further details but should do so in the near future. Presumably, Saalfrank sustained an injury late in his offseason program. Whatever the case, his subtraction from the bullpen is a tough break for a D-backs club that was already facing plenty of questions about its relief corps."
"Saalfrank, 28, pitched 29 big league innings this past season and notched a pristine 1.24 earned run average in that time. That mark seems ripe for regression, as it was propped up by a .217 average on balls in play and 87% strand rate - neither of which seemed sustainable. Saalfrank fanned only 16.8% of his opponents, although his 12.2% swinging-strike rate suggests there could be more punchouts in the tank."
Andrew Saalfrank underwent shoulder surgery and will miss the entire 2026 season. The team has not yet released full details but the injury likely occurred late in his offseason program. Saalfrank, 28, threw 29 big-league innings last season and posted a 1.24 ERA, though the mark was supported by a .217 BABIP and an 87% strand rate that suggest regression. He recorded a 16.8% strikeout rate, a 12.2% swinging-strike rate, an 8.8% walk rate and a 44.7% groundball rate. He served as a middle-relief, high-leverage option for Arizona following other relievers' elbow injuries.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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