Diamondbacks' Madison Bumgarner to Be Evaluated for Arm Injury After Citing Fatigue

The Arizona Diamondbacks have sent starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner back home for further medical evaluation after he cited arm fatigue following his road start on Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, per Reuters (h/t ESPN.com).

Bumgarner gave up five earned runs, four hits and four walks in four innings of a 10-1 loss in his first start of the year.

"My mechanics were fine. It was just one of those days you have during the year, and mine just happened to be the first one," Bumgarner said after the game. "It wasn't like I went out there and threw the ball really well, but I was just one pitch away in the first of it being a completely different game. After that, it wasn't bad."

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told reporters that Bumgarner "very strongly" believes that he won't miss a turn in the rotation. He's in line to start against the Dodgers again, this time at home on Friday.

The veteran stayed relatively healthy in 2022, making 30 starts while totaling 158.2 innings. Both were the most in three years after signing with the Diamondbacks.

Shoulder problems limited Bumgarner to 26 starts in 2021, while a back strain slowed him down during the shortened 2020 season.

It was a major difference after pitching at least 200 innings in seven of his last nine years with the San Francisco Giants. The left-hander was one of the best starters in the majors during that time, earning four All-Star selections while playing a key role in three World Series titles.

Bumgarner had a 3.13 ERA across 11 seasons in San Francisco, but he had just a 4.98 mark across his first three years in Arizona.

Another injury would represent another setback for the 33-year-old, who is a key part of a rotation that already has a lot of question marks. It puts pressure on Zac Gallen and the rest of the pitching staff to pick up the slack for Arizona if Bumgarner has to miss any time.