{"id":572874,"date":"2026-02-14T21:58:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T21:58:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/572874\/"},"modified":"2026-02-14T21:58:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T21:58:13","slug":"torey-lovullo-notes-opening-day-starter-and-its-not-zac-gallen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/572874\/","title":{"rendered":"Torey Lovullo notes Opening Day starter, and it’s not Zac Gallen"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Arizona Diamondbacks<\/a> wasted little time defining their 2026 outlook. Just four days into Spring Training<\/a>, manager Torey Lovullo<\/a> confirmed his Opening Day<\/a> starter\u2014and it will not be Zac Gallen<\/a>. Instead, Merrill Kelly will take the ball when Arizona opens the season against the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 26, setting an early tone for a pivotal National League West matchup.<\/p>\n

Lovullo<\/a> made the announcement Saturday at Salt River Fields, ending Gallen\u2019s three-year run as the club\u2019s Opening Day starter from 2023 through 2025. While Gallen remains central to the rotation, Kelly now moves to the front of the staff, signaling a subtle but meaningful shift in hierarchy.<\/p>\n

MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert shared the update on X (formerly known as Twitter) shortly after the manager’s media session in Scottsdale, relaying the statement<\/a> from Lovullo.<\/p>\n

\u201cTorey Lovullo drops news during his presser today. Merrill Kelly will start Opening Day for the @dbacks\u201d<\/p>\n

The decision underscores trust, familiarity, and continuity. Kelly, 37, rejoined Arizona this offseason on a two-year, $40 million contract after a brief stint with Texas in 2025. Though he made just 10 starts for the Rangers, he owns a 3.74 career ERA with the Diamondbacks and was tracking toward a 3.32 mark before last summer\u2019s trade. His postseason experience and steady presence have long made him a stabilizing force in the clubhouse.<\/p>\n

Lovullo\u2019s decision reflects trust in a proven veteran. Kelly\u2019s experience in high-pressure division matchups makes him a natural choice against a Dodgers lineup expected to contend again.<\/p>\n

For Arizona, the announcement also clarifies the rotation structure. Gallen, who re-signed on a one-year deal<\/a> this winter, slots in behind Kelly to form a proven one-two punch capable of matching any frontline pairing in the division.<\/p>\n

Naming an Opening Day starter in mid-February carries strategic value. Lovullo eliminates speculation early and reinforces a message of stability.<\/p>\n

As the season approaches, the Diamondbacks are emphasizing continuity and resilience. Kelly\u2019s return completes the circle, reaffirming the organization\u2019s trust in experienced leadership during critical moments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Arizona Diamondbacks wasted little time defining their 2026 outlook. Just four days into Spring Training, manager Torey…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":572875,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2404],"tags":[146,22,4314,5,38,4,1406,151,638,86],"class_list":{"0":"post-572874","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arizona-diamondbacks","8":"tag-arizona","9":"tag-arizona-diamondbacks","10":"tag-arizonadiamondbacks","11":"tag-baseball","12":"tag-diamondbacks","13":"tag-mlb","14":"tag-opening-day","15":"tag-spring-training","16":"tag-torey-lovullo","17":"tag-zac-gallen"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116071229655104920","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=572874"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572874\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/572875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=572874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=572874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=572874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}