PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks were already going to open the 2024 season down one of their starting pitchers, and now, the team will be without their closer as well, manager Torey Lovullo announced on Monday.
Paul Sewald, one of Arizona's key acquisitions during the 2023 season ahead of the team's run to the World Series, will open the season on the injury list with a grade two left oblique strain.
Lovullo added that it could be some time before Sewald takes the field in the ninth inning for Arizona in 2024.
"It is gonna be in terms of weeks, not days," Lovullo said. "And we're gonna miss Paul. We're gonna miss Paul."
Sewald addressed the injury saying he first felt pain in his oblique after pitching on March 18 against Oakland. He told the training staff the next day, and the training staff told him not to pitch on March 20 to see if the pain would go away. Sewald said he did not feel any pain for three straight days, so he was cleared to pitch on March 23 against Cleveland. However, the pain returned when he pitched in that game. Sewald ended up getting an MRI on Sunday, which confirmed the injury.
"This is the first time in my career I’ve been on the (injured list), so that’s really disappointing," Sewald said. "I’m going to do everything I can to be back as quick as possible. Whenever that will be I will. My goal is to, whenever I do come back, this will be in the past and we won’t worry about it, right? There’s no use in trying to come back in two weeks if I could get injured again in two months."
Sewald added that he is not worried that him missing the beginning of the season will affect the team's long-term goals.
"I mean, I didn’t get here until August 1 last year and we went to the World Series," Sewald said. "So, I will be back quicker than August 1, I’m almost positive I’m allowed to say that. So, I’m going to miss a little bit of time and that’s disappointing, but at the end of the it’s better than it being in September or October, that’s for sure."
But, Sewald made it clear that he is frustrated by this injury.
"My favorite saying ever has been, 'The best ability is availability,' and I’ve been able to give that, so to break that is disappointing, but nothing I can do about it now, other than just do the best I can in the rehab and recovery process and hopefully get there three days quicker than whatever timetable has been set," Sewald said.
Lovullo says that he does not know yet who will fill in as the closer for the D-backs.
"And it's time for somebody to step up," Lovullo said. "That's just what happens in this game. It happens all the time. It happens in this industry. We do things in a very uncommon way here as part of our culture, we make adjustments, we're adaptable, we accept challenges and we just fight on. And that's what I'm here to say this team will do.
"We've got an army of hungry pitchers that are sitting down there in that bullpen and they've been tested at the highest level and they've gone out there and they've executed at the highest level, at the most critical times. Pitched in World Series, so there's a number of guys that I could probably draw from."
After being acquired in a trade with the Seattle Mariners at the MLB trade deadline on July 31, 2023, Sewald saved 13 games, struck out 20 batters and had a 3.57 ERA.
Sewald was a star for the D-backs in their postseason run in 2023. In the National League Wild Card Series against Milwaukee, the NL Division Series against Los Angeles and the NL Championship Series against Philadelphia, Sewald was nearly unhittable as he closed out six games, only gave up three hits, struck out 11 batters and a did not give up a run.
However, Sewald did not find that same magic in the World Series against Texas, as he was unable to close out any wins, and gave up six hits and six runs in two appearances.
The D-backs re-signed Sewald to a one-year, $7.35 million deal in January. He will be a free agent after the 2024 season.
This comes less than a week after starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez, who Arizona signed to a four-year, $80 million deal in the offseason, was sidelined with a lat strain.
"It is not great news," Lovullo said about Sewald's injury. "And this is on the heels of what happened to Eduardo. Two amazing human beings that care about the right things and they're great teammates. And that, personally, I go to personally how it affects me, and what it's doing to them and the rest of their teammates and that hurts. That hurts.
"They're coming back," Lovullo continued. "They're going to both be back. And when they do we're going to be even better."
Opening Day for the Diamondbacks is on Thursday. They will host the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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