Arizona Diamondbacks make move in rotation with Zack Godley

The Arizona Diamondbacks have an opening in their starting rotation as Zack Godley has been sent to the bullpen.

There is no question that Zack Godley has disappointed this season for the Arizona Diamondbacks. After the departure of Patrick Corbin via free agency, Godley was expected to be a key part of the rotation, a player that they could build around moving forward.

Instead, Godley has had an utterly horrendous start to the season. In his 29.2 innings, he has posted a 7.58 ERA and a 1.719 WHiP, striking out 25 batters, but issuing 18 walks. Godley has also allowed five homers in that limited time, furthering what has been a rough start to the season.

For now, manager Torey Lovullo has seen enough. Godley has lost his spot in the rotation, and will head to the bullpen for the time being. The Diamondbacks will figure out who will take his spot in the rotation when his turn comes back up.

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After a breakthrough 2017 campaign, Godley was expected to be a key part of the Diamondbacks future. He posted a solid 3.37 ERA and a 1.142 WHiP in 155 innings that year, striking out 165 batters with only 53 walks. Since then, Godley has regressed, culminating with his struggles thus far in 2019.

While Arizona has to hope that he can quickly rediscover his form and return to the rotation, his demotion leaves the Diamondbacks in a quandary. Josh Duplantier has already been sent back to AAA, and cannot return until ten days have passed unless an injury occurs. Taylor Widener, considered a top prospect in the Arizona system, has imploded to start the year, leaving his promotion unlikely.

For now, the Diamondbacks may need to fill that spot internally. The best option may well be Matt Andriese, who started 48 games during his time with the Tampa Bay Rays as he shuffled between the bullpen and the rotation. Andriese has pitched exclusively as a reliever this year, posting a 4.34 ERA and a 1.339 WHiP in his 18.1 innings thus far, striking out 21 batters. However, he has issued nine walks and uncorked a league leading five wild pitches thus far. While Lovullo has stated his preference to keep Andriese in the bullpen, he may not have another option.

The Arizona Diamondbacks had hoped that Zack Godley would blossom into a key part of the rotation. Instead, he is back to square one, leaving the Diamondbacks with a gaping hole in the rotation.