D-Backs taking it easy on reliever Bradley Short hops

It was about three weeks ago when the Diamondbacks, after weighing the possibility of moving right-hander Archie Bradley back into the rotation, decided to leave him in the bullpen.

In that time, he’s thrown only 32⁄3 innings. Had he been in the rotation, he’d have probably thrown at least three or four times as many innings.

Granted, the Diamondbacks have been getting solid relief work lately and No. 5 starter Zack Godley has been very good in his three starts, but it stands to reason the club could be getting more production out of Bradley, who has pitched as effectively as anyone on the staff.

Count Bradley among those who would like to be hearing his name called more often – “I mean, yeah, obviously,” he said – but he also understands why the club might be handling him conservatively.

“Even though I have thrown the ball well,” Bradley said, “I still think there’s still a little question mark above me about what my arm can handle and the workload. So I think with the way they’ve handled me and our communication, it’s trying to be cautious.”

Bradley’s usage patterns back up that assessment. He’s pitched on consecutive days once, on one day’s rest another time and twice on two days’ rest. His other eight appearances all came on three days or more of rest.

In 192⁄3 innings, Bradley has a 1.37 ERA, with five walks and 27 strikeouts. Though he was being used primarily as a long reliever early in the year, manager Torey Lovullo has begun using Bradley late in games to protect leads.

For his part, Lovullo didn’t seem to think Bradley’s lack of work was any kind of issue.

“We want him to pitch as much as possible,” Lovullo said. “He’s pitching meaningful innings when it’s his turn and his time. I guess if he is pitching more it means we’ve won every game. I guess you can associate that -- that he’s thrown in a lot of meaningful games that we’re ahead in. I don’t know what his inning totals are, I just know that his usage is based on the need at that moment and I’m sure it’ll all even out by the end of the year.”

Iannetta set to return

Catcher Chris Iannetta had stitches removed from the outside of his lip on Friday, the last step before he returns from the 7-day concussion disabled list on Saturday.

Iannetta was hit in the face by a 93 mph fastball from Pirates reliever Johnny Barbato on Friday night. He suffered a split lip that required stitches and was left with damaged teeth, but he felt fortunate to come away without suffering a more serious injury.

Part of the reason he was placed on the concussion DL was to avoid the possibility of him getting a concussion.

“They said if I got hit again in the next couple of days, you never know what could happen,” he said. “Plus, with the lip still being kind of open with the stitches, probably the safer thing to do, with my best interest in mind, was to give me a couple of days to just rest and let things calm down.”

If he is indeed activated, the club will need to make a corresponding move, the most logical being to send down reliever Silvino Bracho, who was promoted to take his spot on Sunday.

Lovullo offered no hints at a timetable for center fielder A.J. Pollock, who is on the disabled list with a strained right groin, but did say it was “doubtful” he’d be back after the minimum 10-day disabled list stay. Pollock has not yet started running to test the injury, Lovullo said.

» Left-handed reliever T.J. McFarland, out with a left ankle contusion, is with the club in San Diego, an indication the club could be looking to bring him back from the disabled list soon. McFarland is eligible to be activated on Saturday.

“He’s here because we’re looking to see how he’s feeling and keep our hands on him and figure out what the best situation is for him to get back and be active,” Lovullo said.