The Diamondbacks’ 9-5 victory over the Twins on Friday may have been costly on the health front, as both starter Michael Soroka and outfielder Jordan Lawlar had to make early exits. Soroka’s start was cut short after just one inning, as he felt discomfort in his left glute muscle while warming up for his second inning of work. Lawlar had to be replaced by a pinch-runner in the eighth inning, as Lawlar picked up a right hamstring strain while sprinting to first to beat out a bunt single.
Both players will undergo an MRI today to determine the extent of the damage. Speaking with MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert and other reporters following the game, Soroka and Lawlar both expressed hope that their injuries weren’t too severe, with Soroka describing his glute issue as a “grab” and Lawlar saying he felt “just a little tightness.”
Arizona already has nine players on its injured list, with Ryne Nelson hitting the 15-day IL just yesterday due to a partially torn forearm flexor. Lawlar himself was playing in only his sixth game since he was activated from the 60-day IL, as the former top prospect missed over two months of action recovering from a fractured wrist.
Soroka signed a one-year, $7.5MM free agent deal with the D’Backs last December, with the money breaking down as a $6.5MM salary and a $1MM buyout of a $10MM mutual option for the 2027 campaign. It wasn’t clear if Soroka would be used as a starter or as a reliever, yet Soroka not only won himself a rotation spot, but the right-hander has now become the most consistent member of the pitching staff.
Soroka has a 3.07 ERA, 23.7% strikeout rate, and an outstanding 5.1% walk rate across 82 innings. The slurve that became a bigger part of Soroka’s arsenal last season has continued to be a dominant pitch in 2026, and the righty is now using both his slurve and his four-seamer in equal balance.
With Merrill Kelly, Zac Gallen, and Nelson all pitching below expectations, Soroka and Eduardo Rodriguez have done a lot of the heavy lifting in keeping Arizona’s rotation somewhat respectable. Brandon Pfaadt was being stretched out in the minors and was thought to be the logical replacement for Nelson, though the Diamondbacks will have to dig into their pitching depth chart again if Soroka has to miss time. It doesn’t help matters that the D’Backs have only one off-day remaining until the All-Star break, so the team was already facing an innings crunch in the next few weeks.
Any sort of hamstring injury is of particular concern for Lawlar, who has missed significant time in each of the last two minor league seasons due to hamstring strains. Between these hamstring issues, a thumb surgery, a shoulder surgery, a fractured scapula, and his fractured wrist, Lawlar has already dealt with a ton of injuries since being selected sixth overall in the 2021 draft.
These health issues, a lack of production over 108 big league plate appearances in 2023-25, and questions about his ideal defensive position left Lawlar as a bit of a wild card heading into the 2026 campaign. The Diamondbacks shifted Lawlar into outfield duty this year and it seemed to unlock something with his bat, as Lawlar has hit .316/.409/.447 over 44 PA this season. While obviously a small sample size, it’s still a promising development for Lawlar, apart from his continued injury problems.
Jorge Barrosa would likely get most of the outfield playing time if Lawler hits the IL again, plus Max Kepler is nearing the end of his 80-game PED suspension, which would add to Arizona’s outfield depth. Kepler signed with the D’Backs on June 7, and is eligible to be activated on June 25.
