The Arizona Diamondbacks have played seven Cactus League games, and righty Brandon Pfaadt has yet to make his first start. He won’t get the start on Friday, either.

With the exception of Merrill Kelly, who is dealing with intercostal nerve irritation and had to be pulled off his schedule, Pfaadt is the only member of the D-backs’ group of major league starters who will not have made a start after Friday’s game.

Why? Manager Torey Lovullo told reporters at Salt River Fields that the team is “slow-playing” Pfaadt after the young right-hander was dealing with a “side issue.” Lovullo was adamant that this is not an issue that has persisted, but the team has made the decision to keep Pfaadt mostly on the backfields for the time being. Pfaadt is scheduled to throw a live BP session on Thursday.

Arizona Diamondbacks’ Brandon Pfaadt Starting Slow

Lovullo said Pfaadt’s offseason process was slowed by the issue.

“He had the side issue early through the offseason, and we’re trying to just be really mindful of what he’s gone through,” Lovullo said.

“Through the course of the offseason, he had a little bit of a side ache that stopped his offseason progression. It was all offseason. … Everything was good, but I think we just put him on pause for about a week just to let him rest.”

Lovullo said Pfaadt was “asymptomatic on day one of spring training.” He does not expect the right-hander to be affected by the issue going forward in his progression.

“He’s going to be available and built up just fine, so he’s going to throw one, maybe two innings depending on how that first inning goes, but everything’s right exactly where we want it to be with Brandon,” Lovullo said.

The Diamondbacks have already begun to suffer attrition to their starting rotation. Kelly does not yet have a timeline for his back issue, and right-hander Cristian Mena re-aggravated his shoulder injury on Wednesday and will be shut down.

There does not appear to be concern that Pfaadt will join these two arms in being shut down anytime soon, but his lack of appearance in Cactus League play can be explained by a slower ramp-up.

Pfaadt has also been working on adjustments this offseason to increase the effectiveness of his sweeper, hoping to take a jump forward after an up-and-down season in 2025. He will be one of the X-factors of Arizona’s rotation this season, if healthy.