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Corbin Burnes has been injured more than he has been on the mound during his Arizona Diamondbacks tenure.
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Fortunately, he made his first MLB appearance since June 1, 2025, on Tuesday after recovering from Tommy John surgery and a subsequent right teres major strain he suffered this past June during his rehab.
Even more encouraging is that Burnes looked great in his first major league start in over 15 months.
The 31-year-old tossed three scoreless innings in Arizona’s 5-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out two over 57 pitches (35 strikes).
This is the pitch Corbin Burnes can live on when he’s at his best.
Obviously, tonight won’t go down as one of his strongest-ever starts. But it was very good to see his cutter still be a strikeout pitch. pic.twitter.com/NMRbHDtqky
— Alex D’Agostino (@AlexDagAZ) September 9, 2026
Despite having just one start under his belt, Burnes has immediately been thrust back into the Diamondbacks’ playoff push, where there is very little margin for error. Still, his return adds sorely needed length to Arizona’s starting rotation, which has spent much of the summer low on depth.
Yet the right-hander can opt out of the six-year, $210 million contract he signed with the Diamondbacks in December 2024 at the end of this season. Notably, it is the only opt-out clause in Burnes’ deal.
Corbin Burnes Predicted Not to Opt Out of Contract
In a September 10 article, ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan claimed it is unlikely that Burnes will opt out of his deal.
“Burnes returned from Tommy John surgery that had sidelined him for 15 months and threw three scoreless innings Tuesday,” Passan wrote. “He could go the rest of the year without giving up a run and still not opt out of the four years and $140 million left on his deal.”
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The prediction makes sense, as Burnes’ current contract has too much guaranteed money for him to consider testing his luck in free agency. Furthermore, he has to show he can return to the form he showed before injury derailed his 2025 campaign.
In 11 starts last season before landing on the injured list, Burnes posted a 2.66 ERA over 64.1 innings. He recorded 63 strikeouts against 26 walks while holding opposing hitters to a .210 batting average.
The Diamondbacks’ starting rotation depth has been tested in 2026 because of a slew of injuries, including to Burnes. Ryne Nelson (strained right elbow), Zac Gallen (right elbow inflammation), and Michael Soroka (left glute strain/right arm inflammation) have all missed significant time this season.
Fortunately, both Gallen and Soroka returned on Wednesday against the Royals. Their activations from the injured list, along with Burnes’ return, give Arizona length in its rotation behind Eduardo Rodriguez, Merrill Kelly, and Brandon Pfaadt.
That depth will come in handy as the Diamondbacks are in as tight a race as possible with the San Diego Padres for the third and final National League Wild Card spot.
Entering Friday, Arizona (78-69) sits a half game behind San Diego (78-68) for the final postseason spot in the National League.
The Diamondbacks open a nine-game homestand on Friday against the Texas Rangers at 9:40 pm ET.
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This story was originally published September 11, 2026 at 11:11 AM.