A 2026 Arizona Diamondbacks Opening Day roster, v3.0

Only a couple of weeks since last time we checked in, but there have been some quite significant and dramatic changes to things, both in terms of new signings, and in losses due to injuries. So, let’s review what the Opening Day roster might look like, now the dust has settled, and with spring training games scheduled to kick off tomorrow. As ever, new names since last time are shown in bold.

Starting rotation Merrill Kelly ($20m) Zac Gallen ($22m) Ryne Nelson ($3m) Eduardo Rodriguez ($21m) Brandon Pfaadt ($3.4m) The unexpected return of Gallen to Arizona certainly poses a bit of a roster problem. While, obviously, we’re likely going to need more than five starters over the course of the year, there are now six on the roster.

Unless the team goes with a six-man rotation to open the year, which seems unlikely, someone is going to be left out. I’d say it’s probably going to be between Pfaadt and winter signing Michael Soroka. It is possible Pfaadt, who still has minor-league options, could be sent to Reno to remain a starter and wait for the eventual need at the major-league level.

But considering the long-term contract he signed less than a year ago, what kind of message would that demotion send? On the other hand, Soroka is being paid as a starting pitcher: $7.5 million is an awful lot of money for a long reliever. It’s also a role which will make it harder to transition back to being a starter. So this could go other way.

It’s marginally possible Ryne Nelson ends up being the one on the outside, though given how effective he was after moving into the rotation last year, that would be a strange decision, even if he is the lowest-paid member of the 2026 rotation. And don’t forget, Corbin Burnes should be back at some point, perhaps triggering a still more difficult conundrum for Mike Hazen and Torey Lovullo.

Though let’s cross that bridge when we get to it! Bullpen Ryan Thompson ($3.95m) Kevin Ginkel ($2.725m) Taylor Clarke ($1.55m) Kade Stroud Paul Sewald ($1.5m) Michael Soroka ($7.5m) Brandyn Garcia Drey Jameson One in, one out.

An unwelcome surprise was the news that Andrew Saalfrank is going to miss the entire 2026 season after undergoing shoulder surgery, and he has duly been taken off the 40-man roster and placed on the 60-day IL. In exchange, the team signed Sewald to a one-year deal, the fanbase reacting with a response somewhere between “Why?” and “Meh.” I doubt he will be seeing save situations initially.

The question would be, who will be getting those out of the gate? I’d say it could be Thompson, Ginkel or Stroud, and is something to be decided over the course of spring training. Torey is certainly not committing at this point . The other change is spurred by the loss of Saalfrank.

Simply replacing him with Sewald would have given the team an entirely right-handed bullpen, which isn’t something Torey Lovullo appears to favor. Right now, Garcia and Philip Abner are the only healthy left-handed relief options on the 40-man roster, so options for the role are limited.

It might be an area where there’s a chance for a left-handed non-roster invitee to break through, but as we previously discussed, the options there lean more towards starting pitching than the reliever. It’s possible this is an area with more work to be done before Opening Day.