Corbin Burnes DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Corbin Burnes (shoulder) said he's still tracking toward a return to the starting rotation on Saturday against the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers. Burnes needs to check one last box with a successful bullpen session on Wednesday. The 30-year-old veteran said he had a cortisone injection last Friday to help him with right-shoulder inflammation that caused the team to skip him from his last start on Monday. Instead, he threw off flat ground on Monday and is apparently feeling much better. Burnes is typically a must-start in fantasy each time he toes the rubber, but this Saturday's outing against the dangerous Dodgers would be a time to fade him if there ever was one. Despite dealing with a shoulder issue last time out, he picked up the win over the Mets last Wednesday by going six innings with one earned run, five walks and three strikeouts.

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Corbin Burnes (shoulder) threw on flat ground on Monday before the team's series opener at Chase Field against the visiting New York Mets. Burnes then spoke with trainer Ryan DiPanfilo and pitching coach Brian Kaplan, which ended with a fist bump. The D-backs kept the 30-year-old veteran from making his scheduled start on Monday against the Met after he worked his way through right-shoulder fatigue in his last two outings. It sounds as though his throwing session went well on Monday, though, and the team remains optimistic that he won't need to go on the injured list. The four-time All-Star only allowed four runs (two earned) with eight walks and 11 K's in 11 1/3 innings while being less than 100% in his last two starts against the Rays and Mets. Overall, he has a 3.58 ERA and 1.38 WHIP with 28 K's in 32 2/3 innings over his first six starts. Burnes is a must-start in fantasy when he's on the mound.UPDATE: Manager Torey Lovullo said that Burnes is still on track to make his next start.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Corbin Burnes (shoulder) is expected to miss his next scheduled start due to right-shoulder inflammation. The 30-year-old had recently expressed feeling some shoulder fatigue to manager Torey Lovullo, and the team decided to have him skip a start, however, they remain hopeful that the 4x All-Star will not require an injured list stint. Burnes has been solid this season, but has not performed like the ace we've grown accustomed to, pitching to a 3.58 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, and a 7.9 percent K-BB% over six starts (32 2/3 IP). Hopefully the extra rest will get him back to form with the Diamondbacks having postseason aspirations.