Diamondbacks' Corbin Burnes to Get MRI on Elbow Injury After Exiting vs. Nationals

After exiting the Arizona Diamondbacks' win over the Washington Nationals early on Sunday, pitcher Corbin Burnes is set to undergo testing on his apparent elbow injury.

Per Fox 10 Phoenix's Megan Plain, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Burnes was experiencing right elbow discomfort in the game and will have an MRI done on Monday.

Burnes went 4.2 innings on Sunday, giving up four hits, a walk and a run while recording six strikeouts. In the top of the fifth inning with two outs, he gave up a single to CJ Abrams before signaling for the trainer to come out. Following the discussion with the trainer, he exited the game.

"It just kinda started to get really tight on me," Burnes said after the game. "Obviously, saw the velo starting to drop and the movement of the pitches was not where we wanted it to be... It just got to a point where the tightness was too much."

Burnes, who is in his first season with the Diamondbacks after spending 2024 with the Baltimore Orioles, has gone 3-2 with a 2.66 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP through 11 starts. He was in the middle of one of his best outings of the year when he had to leave Sunday's matchup.

Burnes, a former NL Cy Young Award winner and a four-time All-Star, has managed to stay healthy for most of his career, never missing significant time and avoiding surgery. It's unclear how serious his new ailment is, but he'll look to keep his injury luck going this year.

The Diamondbacks had lost eight of their last nine coming into Sunday's game. While they picked up the win against the Nationals, they're still in fourth place in the NL West at 28-31 and are in desperate need of a surge.

Things will only get more challenging if Burnes is forced to miss significant time. He has the best ERA among the team's starting pitchers and has given up the fewest hits and home runs among the group.