Manger Torey Lovullo of the Arizona Diamondbacks has several options in replacing Robbie Ray in the rotation.
At this point, the health of left-hander Robbie Ray of the Arizona Diamondbacks remains of paramount concern. Manager Torey Lovullo continues to stress “the family” aspect of his club, and how players pull and communicate with one another. The continuing attempts to address the physical and moral dimensions of Lovullo’s culture reaches the core of the Diamondbacks response to Ray’s condition.
At the same time, there is growing concern regarding Ray’s replacement. As the baseball calendar slides into August and the remaining two months of the season fall into focus, the Diamondbacks remain in every post-season conversation. Despite a recent slide in which they are double-digits down in the standings from threatening the enormous lead enjoyed by the Los Angeles Dodgers atop the National League West Division, Arizona still maintains a comfort zone for a wide-card position.
That can change in a hurry, and no one is more aware than Lovullo. Leads melt quickly, and long-range planning seems essential. Immediately, Ray will miss his next start and that’s because he was placed in Major League Baseball’s seven-day concussion protocol. That’s equivalent to the disabled list, and in his place, reliever Silvino Bracho has Brentwood, Tenn. native on the current 25-man roster.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Raising concern, Ray, who is 9-5, 3.11 ERA and 151 strikeouts in 118 innings, was hit in the head by a line drive off the bat of Cardinals’ Luke Voit last Friday night, and taken directly to the hospital. After examination, Ray rejoined his teammates in Busch Stadium, and will travel with the Diamondbacks to Chicago and San Francisco during their current trip.
After the injury on Friday night, Lovullo told mlb.com that the outlook is encouraging.
“(Ray) came into the clubhouse and he looked really good,” he said. “The wound was repaired with a couple of staples in his head. He just said he felt a little bit sore. Everything is trending toward a very positive outcome. The cognitive testing was good, his balance was good, but he still has some signs of a concussion. Those will hopefully be eliminated in the coming days.”
Should Ray, who was named to the NL All-Star team this season, miss a few turns, Lovullo could turn to lefty Anthony Banda, considered the Diamondbacks’ number one prospect. Earlier this season, Banda was called up from the minors for an emergency spot start. Getting the nod on July 22 at home against Washington, Banda lasted into the sixth inning, allowed four runs and absorbed a 4-3 defeat.
Numbers here were misleading. After surrendering a first inning home run to Bryce Harper, Banda shut down the Nationals until he allowed a three-spot in the sixth.
One development which could exacerbate Ray’s absence is the health of right-hander Randall Delgado. On the disabled list with right elbow inflammation since July 16, the native of Panama appeared in 26 games and started five contests. In those appearances, Delgado is 1-2 with a respectable 3.59 ERA. In an ideal world, Delgado would fill in for Ray as a spot starter, but not at this point.
Options for Lovullo could be right-hander Braden Shipley, who started two games for the Diamondbacks earlier this season. In four appearance at the major-league level in 2017, Shipley is 0-1 with a 6.35 ERA. Another possibility could right-hander Matt Koch, who was brought up from Triple-A Reno when Delgado went down. His stay in the majors lasted one day, and that’s when Banda was called up from Reno to start that game against Washington.
Next: Dodgers acquire Yu Darvish
It’s likely too early to determine when Ray may be back on the mound. For the Diamondbacks, and their quest for post-season play, this injury to a vital component of their team could not have come at a more challenging time in the season.