Dbacks Notes

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Wednesday that Graveman has experienced more back tightness following Tuesday’s live batting practice session, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Graveman appeared to have turned a corner in his recovery from the back issue, but now he’s encountered a setback. The veteran reliever has not yet appeared in a Cactus League game after missing the entirety of the 2024 season following shoulder surgery. Graveman’s availability for Opening Day is very much in question.

Pfaadt allowed one run on three hits and one walk while striking out two over three innings in Tuesday’s spring game against the Royals.

Pfaadt didn’t start the game and came on to pitch innings five through seven after Merrill Kelly and Justin Martinez got the Diamondbacks through the first four frames. This was Pfaadt’s third Cactus League outing and decidedly better than his previous appearance when he was chased after 1.1 innings. Despite working out of the bullpen Tuesday, Pfaadt remains in the mix for the final spot in the rotation, along with Ryne Nelson and Jordan Montgomery.

Martinez threw a scoreless two-thirds of an inning in Tuesday’s spring game against Kansas City.

Martinez came on in the fourth inning to relieve starter Merrill Kelly, who left with one out and runners at the corners. Martinez needed just two pitches to get out of the jam, inducing a double-play groundout to end the inning. It was the fourth scoreless appearance in five Cactus League outings for Martinez, who is competing with A.J. Puk and Kevin Ginkel for the closer role.

Kelly allowed five hits while striking out one over 3.1 scoreless innings in Tuesday’s spring start against the Royals.

Kelly threw 48 pitches in his third Cactus League start, the same number of pitches he threw the last time out, March 7, against the Mariners. He navigated first-inning trouble with the help of his defense; a baserunner was caught attempting to steal and a second one was picked off by Kelly, the third time he’s picked off a runner this spring. After three spring outings, Kelly has a 2.35 ERA over 7.2 innings.

Graveman (back) threw his first live batting practice session of the spring Tuesday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Graveman was signed to a major-league deal after camp opened but then missed time with back tightness. The Diamondbacks believe he has enough time to be ready for the start of the regular season.