Zac Gallen was pulled from his start against the San Diego Padres in Mexico City on Saturday after three scoreless innings, leaving Arizona with a brief scare after he was struck by a 92 mph comebacker in the third. The Diamondbacks said Gallen has a right shoulder contusion.
Gallen stayed in the game long enough to finish the third inning after talking with trainers and manager Torey Lovullo, and he did not appear to be in severe pain when the ball hit him. Brandon Pfaadt, who had recently moved to a bullpen role, came in and threw a scoreless fourth inning.
The timing mattered because Arizona had already built a 4-0 lead, with Jose Fernandez hitting a two-run double and Alek Thomas following with a two-run homer. In a game that had already turned into a one-run affair recently in the broader sense of how quickly a lead can vanish, Gallen’s exit shifted the focus from offense to whether the starter would be available to take the ball again after the club’s trip to Mexico City, where the high elevation can change the feel of a game as much as the score does.
For the Diamondbacks, the cleanest read is that the injury does not sound catastrophic, but the right shoulder is the part of a pitcher’s body that can turn a routine hit into a longer problem. Pfaadt’s move into relief gives Arizona at least one ready arm, but the bigger question now is whether Gallen’s next outing comes on schedule or if the contusion forces the club to adjust the rotation.