The Arizona Diamondbacks picked up a much-needed 3-1 win over the Washington Nationals on Sunday, but the mood was far from celebratory. Ace right-hander Corbin Burnes exited the game in the fifth inning with right elbow discomfort, casting immediate concern over the team’s rotation and playoff hopes.
Burnes had just allowed a single to CJ Abrams when he signaled toward the dugout. After a brief conversation with the trainer and manager, Torey Lovullo, Burnes was removed from the game. The club announced that Burnes will undergo an MRI on Monday to evaluate the severity of the issue.
Corbin Burnes just left his start for Arizona after an apparent arm injury. His cutter velocity had dipped two to three ticks before that. pic.twitter.com/z1ktHvURRJ
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 1, 2025
“It started to get tight on me. I saw the velo starting to drop and the movement on my pitches,” Burnes said.
“We kind of got to the point in the fifth inning where I tried two others time to put away Abrams and I just couldn’t do it. It got to the point where the tightness was too much and we didn’t feel like we needed to push any farther. Hopefully we caught it early, hopefully it’s not bad.”
Corbin Burnes’ Solid Outing Overshadowed By Injury
Before his early exit, Burnes had been pitching effectively. He tossed 4 2/3 innings, allowing one run on four hits with six strikeouts and a walk. It was a continuation of a strong start to the season for the 2021 NL Cy Young winner, who is 3-2 with a 2.66 ERA and 63 strikeouts over 64 1/3 innings in 2025.
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Burnes joined the Diamondbacks this offseason on a six-year, $210 million deal and has been a stabilizing force in the rotation. Arizona, now 28-31, had been reeling with a four-game losing streak before Sunday’s win.
“I’m more than minimally concerned,” Lovullo said about the injury. “We’ll know more after the imaging.”
With the NL West tightly contested, the Diamondbacks can’t afford a lengthy absence from Burnes. The team will await Monday’s MRI results as they prepare to open a new series with their rotation in flux.
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