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Andrew Saalfrank’s 2026 season appears to be over, as the left-hander underwent surgery.
The Arizona Diamondbacks‘ beleaguered bullpen suffered a serious injury setback for the 2026 season, losing a promising young reliever for the season. Left-hander Andrew Saalfrank posted a photo on his Instagram showing that he had undergone surgery.
Saalfrank, 28, had emerged as one of the key arms in the Diamondbacks’ bullpen in 2025. Returning from a one-year gambling suspension, the lefty was the lone bright spot in a terrible bullpen. In 28 appearances, he pitched to a 1.24 ERA and recorded three saves. His 13 shutdowns, or a relief appearance that produced a 6% or better Win Probability Added, ranked third on the team.
Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reported that Saalfrank underwent surgery on his left shoulder and is out for 2026.
Don’t have all the details yet, but @Dbacks LHP Andrew Saalfrank had shoulder surgery today and will miss the 2026 season.
What Andrew Saalfrank’s Injury Means for Diamondbacks Bullpen
The immediate impact is that the Diamondbacks are losing their top left-handed option. The news stings, as it is one day before pitchers and catchers report at Salt River Fields.
Saalfrank is the second Diamondbacks relief option to undergo surgery this offseason, following Kyle Amendt. While Amendt wasn’t on Arizona’s 40-man roster, he would have been a potential camp invite.
The Diamondbacks are hoping to have a better bullpen than the unit that ranked 27th in ERA (4.82) in 2025. That’s been a constant sore spot in general manager Mike Hazen’s tenure. Closer troubles have hurt Arizona in the last two seasons, as they’ve tried to build off their World Series trip in 2023.
The injury creates larger opportunities for players to grow into a big role. Hazen cited confidence in his internal reliever depth as a reason for his offseason approach with the bullpen. Pitchers such as Yilber Diaz, Brandyn Garcia, Drey Jameson, Philip Abner, Jonathan Loaisiga, Derek Law, and the recently-acquired Kade Strowd all have a clearer path to the roster.
In fact, Saalfrank’s injury may have been the impetus for Hazen to trade infielder Blaze Alexander to the Baltimore Orioles for Strowd.
Diamondbacks Bullpen Situation in 2026
The Diamondbacks enter the 2026 season with no set role for any of their relievers. They are currently without Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk, who are recovering from their own elbow surgeries. Puk, who has the shorter rehab timeline, is expected to return first.
Veteran holdovers such as Kevin Ginkel and Ryan Thompson will likely get the first crack at high-leverage roles. Other veteran relievers, such as Loaisiga and Law, will also get an opportunity.
For the Diamondbacks to have any prayer of contending in 2026, they’re going to need their internal depth to step up. That means getting big innings out of their less experienced arms, such as Garcia, Strowd, Juan Morillo, and Diaz.
All four relievers have the necessary raw stuff for a backend role, but lack the experience to be a confident projection. With an open bullpen that is rife with future opportunities, this is the year for these relievers to get the necessary experience.
The 2026 season will be a lot of trial-and-error with the bullpen, as Hazen continues to evaluate his options. The hope is that some of their young arms can rise to the occasion and seize roles. However, it’s also worth noting that pressure in the big leagues is a completely different situation than these pitchers are used to.
For Hazen (2029) and Lovullo (2026) to remain with the club beyond their current contracts, these young relievers will have to grow up quickly. Failure to do so will mean another wasted season of Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte, and Geraldo Perdomo’s prime.
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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