Diamondbacks suddenly have question mark in bullpen

Signed to a one-year deal this offseason to help boost the back end of the Arizona Diamondbacks bullpen, the availability of Kendall Graveman for Opening Day is suddenly in question.

Graveman, who missed all of last season after undergoing right shoulder surgery, woke up with additional back tightness on Wednesday morning, potentially throwing a wrench into Arizona’s Opening Day bullpen setup.

Back issues have held Graveman out of all Cactus League games so far, delaying a look at how the right-hander will throw after surgery and recovery.

Arizona manager Torey Lovullo discussed earlier in spring how important it would be for the 34-year-old Graveman to stay on schedule in order to build up and be ready for Arizona’s March 27 home encounter against the Chicago Cubs. Now, with Graveman once again dealing with a back issue, Lovullo admitted on Wednesday to reporters that there was “a little bit more” concern about the right-hander’s availability.

“I’m not going to lie. I wanted him to be healthy,” Lovullo told reporters. “I wanted him to step off that mound and say he feels 100%, but I appreciate him speaking up.”

Once healthy, Arizona will be the sixth team that Graveman has pitched for during his 10-year MLB career. One of those teams, the Houston Astros, traded for Graveman twice in a three-year span at the MLB deadline in order to boost their postseason hopes. In his lone postseason stint with the Astros during the 2021 campaign, Graveman totaled a 1.64 ERA over 11.0 innings in nine appearances.

Should Graveman not be ready for Opening Day, Arizona will have to reconfigure its bullpen lineup. A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez are expected to compete for closer duties, with Kevin Ginkel adding some late-inning options as well. Shelby Miller, a non-roster invite with 12 MLB seasons under his belt, may slide into the bullpen spot potentially vacated by Graveman. Like Graveman, Miller was signed by the Diamondbacks in the offseason as a free agent.