PHOENIX — The expectation for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2026 was set by club leadership when spring training started: Be competitive early and improve as the season progresses when key players come off the injured list.
That’s going to be difficult with a brutal early schedule, which will test the depth general manager Mike Hazen assembled and the readiness the coaching staff attempted to hammer in spring training.
“I expect us to come out and play good, competitive baseball without (the people on the injured list), get on a roll and put the team in position as those guys start to come back … to get better and better as the season goes on,” Hazen said early in spring.
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Ace Corbin Burnes, co-closers A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez and left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. are injured. Starter Merrill Kelly will also begin 2026 on the injured list but is planning on coming back shortly after the season starts.
Arizona ended up pushing its payroll past where it expected to give the healthy group a better shot at staying in the fight.
The schedule begins with three games at the defending-champion Los Angeles Dodgers, and the D-backs will then take on a slew of postseason hopefuls:
vs. Detroit Tigers coming off a crushing ALDS Game 5 loss vs. Atlanta Braves looking to bounce back after missing first postseason since 2017 at New York Mets after remaking the roster with infielder Bo Bichette, ace starter Freddy Peralta and closer Devin Williams at Philadelphia Phillies coming off an NL East title at Baltimore Orioles looking to bounce back with new first baseman Pete Alonso and closer Ryan Helsley vs. defending AL champion Toronto Blue JaysIt’s the start of the year, and as pitcher Michael Soroka put it, every major league team is a challenge. But that’s a lot of talent to deal with through the first 22 games.
Plus, the D-backs face three more 2025 playoff teams — the San Diego Padres (in Mexico), Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs — in late April and early May. Those are seven of the top nine teams by record last season and eight of the top 11 clubs in FanGraphs’ projected standings playing the D-backs in their first 11 series.
Getting off to a sharper start has been a focus this spring for Arizona, with manager Torey Lovullo harping on pitching and defense being catalysts to do so. The Diamondbacks wanted to improve their run prevention last year but fell short of that goal. It is once again a necessity that they do so to compete this season.
“We’ve got to win little inches on the baseball field,” Lovullo said. “We’ve got to take care of the margins, we’re built differently than a lot of baseball teams. … I think we’re very athletic. We’re very prepared and we’re gonna save runs and when you save runs, it adds up differently. The Dodgers are gonna pound the baseball to score runs. We got to save runs and I think there’s a good balance there that makes us a good baseball team.”
The Diamondbacks got off to a great start in 2023 (33-23 through May), and it allowed them to go through lulls in the summer and continue to push for a playoff spot. That has not been the case over the past two years (25-32 and 27-31 through May, respectively).
Arizona overcame a difficult first half in 2024 to grab onto a postseason spot before losing it late, while the hole became too deep to surmount last year, which led to a trade deadline sell-off.
The last time Arizona opened the season at Dodger Stadium was in 2023. The Diamondbacks got crushed in two games, including Opening Day, but they also earned a pair of close victories to split the four-game series, showing a competitiveness that led to a memorable season.
“It’s just the three games in a set of 162, but at the same time, I don’t think anyone’s naive enough to think that these games are not important,” catcher James McCann said. “You’re going against the defending champs, and they’re in-division opponents. So that’s one thing as a veteran that I try to remind guys, is that while you can’t win the division or make the playoffs in the first month, you definitely can lose it.”
McCann compared slow starts to trailing in a baseball game and how much pressure builds the further back you fall.
Nine teams have started 10-15 or worse through 25 games and won the division or earned a Wild Card spot since 1995, according to MLB.com. Even if the Diamondbacks improve throughout the season, it will be very hard to get buried early and dig out of it.
At the same time, a great start against that caliber of competition with the given adversity could make some noise about where this team could go.
The first among the big four injured Diamondbacks (excluding Kelly) expected to return is Gurriel, and it’s been floated that this could happen at some point in April. He has been playing in minor league games on the backfields of Salt River Fields as a designated hitter, and the next step is to jump into the outfield.
Gurriel will be followed by Puk (who started throwing shortbox bullpens), Burnes (targeting July) and Martinez (hoping for August). Arizona is also awaiting the returns of young hitters Adrian Del Castillo and Tyler Locklear. The plan is for Kelly to be back April 8 in Queens against the Mets.
The rotation will rely on Zac Gallen to return to form, Ryne Nelson to build off a great 2025 season and bounce-backs from Eduardo Rodriguez and Brandon Pfaadt.
The bullpen was pieced together with veterans on one-year deals and younger arms, and there is potential for internal improvement. But there are questions about how having no left-handed relievers out of the gate will play.
The defense is expected to be much improved, while the offense may have to utilize its athleticism to create traffic and chaos for the stacked top three of Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo to take advantage.
The Diamondbacks’ record on May 3 will say a lot about what is possible for this club.
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