At long last, Corbin Burnes has returned to a big-league mound, and for the still-in-the-hunt Arizona Diamondbacks, the timing could not be any better. The former National League Cy Young Award winner last pitched in June 2025 before Tommy John surgery ended his season just months after signing a six-year, $210 million deal with Arizona.Not yet fully built up, Burnes tossed three scoreless innings in Tuesday night’s 5-3 win over the Kansas City Royals in extra innings, his first big-league start in over 450 days. Flashing his signature cutter, Burnes topped out at 94.9 mph on 57 pitches (35 strikes). Burnes struck out two, walked two and allowed two hits over his three frames.He was replaced in the fourth inning by Kade Strowd, whom the Diamondbacks recalled from Triple A on Tuesday as part of a series of roster moves.“Now we can stop talking about how long it has been and just get back to playing baseball,” Burnes told reporters after the game. “It was good. For the most part, we did what we wanted to do.”
And it Burnes, Burnes, Burnes pic.twitter.com/29gD0Wlakr
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) September 8, 2026An All-Star and Cy Young Award vote-getter in four straight seasons, Burnes arrived in the desert as one of baseball’s most reliable pitchers, having averaged 31 starts per season between 2021 and 2024. His signing with the Diamondbacks was, in part, driven by his desire to remain in Arizona, where he resided in the offseason. The pact also represented the rare big-money move for a club that entered Tuesday with a payroll that ranked 14th, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts.
