Diamondbacks’ Corbin Burnes takes ‘good last step.’ Here’s what’s next

Diamondbacks right-hander Corbin Burnes packed four innings’ worth of outs into three innings during a bridge camp game on Thursday, Sept. 3, an outing that is expected to be his last before a return to the majors next week in Kansas City.

“Today, I think, was for me a good last step, if that’s what this is going to be,” Burnes said after facing a lineup of Los Angeles Angels minor leaguers on a backfield near Tempe Diablo Stadium.

Working with a fastball that topped out at 93 mph, Burnes worked three innings and retired 12 batters; in both the second and third innings, he remained on the mound after the third out to continue building his pitch count.

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He struck out two, did not walk a batter and may or may not have allowed a hit depending on whether a ground ball to third was ruled an error. His repertoire looked generally sharp, and he gave up perhaps three hard-hit balls.

“Swing and miss on cutters, sinkers, curveball, the slider, changeup — I think we got a swing and miss on every pitch today, which is good,” Burnes said. “Around the zone. For me, the thing is, I want to be able to command the baseball, and we were able to command everything, which is good.”

Burnes said he threw 43 or 44 pitches in the game followed by another eight to 10 in the bullpen to simulate a fourth inning.

“The mark was to get to 50 at least so we could go 60 to 65 next time,” Burnes said. “Three ups and then a fourth in the pen, so that just in case we’re crazy efficient in the next one, we could go out for a fifth if we need to.”

The Diamondbacks have not formally announced what their plan is for Burnes, but it seems likely he will pitch against the Royals.

“I’m ready,” Burnes said. “We’ll see what happens. I think the indications are that’s what we’re doing, but obviously a lot can happen between now and then. I’ve got to keep putting the work in and see what happens.”

Burnes has not pitched in the majors since June 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He had hoped to return from the IL in July, but a shoulder injury delayed him further. He is in the second year of a $210 million deal the Diamondbacks gave him in December 2024.