The Arizona Republic

Diamondbac­ks more guarded with providing medical updates

- NICK PIECORO Diamondbac­ks starter Patrick Corbin will be shuffled back in the rotation and won’t pitch during the upcoming three-game series at Coors Field against the Rockies.

PHILADELPH­IA - Center fielder A.J. Pollock played in his first rehab game on Saturday, but when he might return to the Diamondbac­ks from a groin injury has not been made public. Left fielder Yasmany Tomas is progressin­g from a groin issue of his own, but even a rough timetable for his return hasn’t been disclosed.

The Diamondbac­ks have changed the sort of medical reports they provide the media this season, opting only to give day-to-day reports and avoiding any sort of long-term or even medium-term estimates on when players could return.

This, manager Torey Lovullo says, is to “protect the player.”

“I don’t want to have to go backward if something doesn’t happen the way it’s supposed to,” Lovullo said. “We all have something in our head about a general time frame. I think I’ve learned in the past that if you put a firm timetable on something and it changes, it’s going to throw the whole equation out of whack.”

What they’re trying to avoid is the appearance of a setback, even though injuries that take a long time to heal – like, for example, Pollock’s, which has sidelined him since mid-May – can lead reporters and fans alike to assume something has gone wrong when, in fact, nothing has.

Or, at least, the Diamondbac­ks say nothing has awry with Pollock’s recovery. The Diamondbac­ks did not provide much of a hint as to how long they expected Pollock to be out, other than to disclose the severity of the injury.

“Once I know exactly what’s going to happen, I’ll pass it along to you,” Lovullo said.

“But if I tell you A.J. is going to be ready on Monday and he takes a step back, it doesn’t do anybody any good. I don’t want to force the player to feel like he’s ready to go because he’s reading something, too.”

Pollock played five innings Saturday, going 1 for 2 with a double and a walk for Triple-A Reno. Lovullo said Pollock will take Sunday off and could get back in action on Monday. He had said on Friday that Pollock could need only 10 to 15 atbats, meaning he could return from the DL as soon as this weekend.

Corbin won't start vs. Rockies

The Diamondbac­ks will shuffle their rotation for their upcoming series at Coors Field, pushing back left-hander Patrick Corbin until next weekend at Chase Field.

Corbin has not pitched well against the Colorado Rockies or at Coors Field this season or last, and the club appears to be lining him up for a more favorable matchup. In the past two years at Coors Field, Corbin has allowed 16 earned runs in 10 1/3 innings.

The Diamondbac­ks are chasing the Colorado Rockies in the National League West, entering Sunday a game back in the division.

Right-hander Zack Greinke is scheduled to start Tuesday with right-hander Taijuan Walker pitching on Wednesday. Corbin’s regular turn would have been Thursday.

Whom the Diamondbac­ks will start instead hasn’t been officially announced, but it would stand to reason that right-hander Zack Godley will get the ball. After starting on Saturday, he would be pitching on regular rest on Thursday.

Corbin instead will start on Friday against the Philadelph­ia Phillies, Lovullo said. Corbin just faced the Phillies on Friday at Citizens Bank Park, giving up four runs (two earned) in six innings, an outing that went down as his second quality start in his past eight.

 ?? ROB SCHUMACHER/AZCENTRAL SPORTS ??
ROB SCHUMACHER/AZCENTRAL SPORTS

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