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Merrill Kelly will make his first career Opening Day start in his eighth season with the Diamondbacks.
Despite Opening Day being 40 days away, Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo named his starter. Lovullo revealed to the media, including The Arizona Republic‘s Nick Piecoro, that Merrill Kelly will start.
“It’s the right thing to do,” Lovullo told Piecoro. “He was an easy candidate.”
By naming Kelly the Opening Day starter, it breaks Zac Gallen’s three-year streak. The timing of the announcement is curious, as Gallen is reportedly returning to the Diamondbacks. However, it appears that the decision might have been made before those reports came out.
It comes in stark contrast to how Lovullo approached that decision a year ago. He kept his cards close to the vest before naming Gallen at the last possible moment. That’s a decision that backfired, pushing Corbin Burnes‘ first start to the fifth game of the season.
Why Merrill Kelly Deserved Opening Day Honors
Kelly will begin his eighth season with the Diamondbacks, but it will be his first-ever Opening Day start.
It comes as no surprise, since he was their best starting pitcher in 2025. In 22 starts with Arizona, he pitched to a 3.22 ERA with 121 strikeouts and 38 walks over 128.2 innings. His 3.0 bWAR and 2.3 fWAR ranked second and first among Diamondbacks starters to throw 120 innings.
It comes as a full-circle moment in Kelly’s career. He likely envisioned this moment for himself when he pitched for Desert Mountain High School, Yavapai Community College, and Arizona State as an amateur.
Even though the Diamondbacks traded Kelly at the deadline, the right-hander returned to Arizona in the offseason. The 37-year-old signed a two-year, $40 million deal that includes a vesting option for 2028.
Lovullo told Piecoro that he had mulled the decision for a couple of days but decided it was better to announce it as soon as possible.
“I just thought, ‘Why not congratulate him and have a good baseball moment? Why not let you guys know and get out way ahead of it?’ It’s not crazy that this type of stuff happens. I’ve seen other managers do it.”
Kelly will become the fifth Opening Day starter under Lovullo. The previous four are Zack Greinke (2017, 2019), Patrick Corbin (2018), Madison Bumgarner (2020-2022), and Gallen (2023-2025).
Diamondbacks Rotation Situation in 2026
With Gallen’s return, the Diamondbacks’ rotation situation looks much better going into 2026. Kelly is the de facto No. 1 starter, with Gallen, Ryne Nelson, and Eduardo Rodriguez likely guaranteed rotation spots.
The final rotation spot could come down to Brandon Pfaadt vs. Michael Soroka. It will be an interesting decision to see who comes ahead. The Diamondbacks invested $45 million into Pfaadt when they signed him to a five-year extension a year ago. However, they also pulled in Soroka because they gave him a clear rotation opportunity.
It’s worth noting that Soroka had a clear runway to a rotation spot, but that was before Gallen became available. The loser of that last rotation spot is a candidate to pitch in long relief.
Regardless of how the rotation shakes out the first time through, signing Gallen gives the Diamondbacks more depth. Arizona has six starters with a legitimate claim to a rotation spot, and it’s foolish to think it will stay intact during the season.
How the Diamondbacks handle their rotation depth will be a key determinant in how their 2026 season will go.
Michael McDermott Michael McDermott is a writer at Heavy Sports covering the Arizona Diamondbacks and Major League Baseball. Michael has 10 years experience writing about the D-backs and their farm system for AZ Snake Pit, Burn City Sports, and Diamondbacks On SI. More about Michael McDermott
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