Ryne Nelson not taking pitching role for granted in 2026

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For the first time in his career, Ryne Nelson will enter Spring Training without facing an uphill battle for a rotation spot, but you wouldn't know it by talking to the Diamondbacks right-hander.

Sitting in front of his locker at Salt River Field, weeks before the first scheduled pitcher-catcher workout of the spring, Nelson said he isn't approaching this spring any differently than he did last year, when he found himself on the outside looking in for a rotation spot.

After the surprise signing of Corbin Burnes, Nelson entered last spring competing for the fifth spot in the rotation with Jordan Montgomery and Brandon Pfaadt, among others.

Pfaadt eventually got the spot, and Nelson was relegated to the bullpen. That changed late in May when Burnes was lost to Tommy John surgery and Nelson took his spot in the rotation.

Nelson, who'll turn 28 on Feb. 1, made the most of the opportunity, putting together the best overall season by any of Arizona's starting pitchers, compiling a 3.39 ERA with a 127 ERA+.

GM Mike Hazen made a point of saying after last season that Nelson would be in the rotation in 2026, but Nelson is taking nothing for granted.

"I feel the exact same coming into camp this year as I did last year," Nelson said. "I think the second you get comfortable, and you think that things are going to be easy or whatnot, you start to let what got you here slip.

"I'm just coming in, getting good work in, and trying to be the best version of myself. And whatever role I end up in, it's not going to be because I didn't work hard enough. I'm gonna do everything I can to put myself in the best position to succeed."

In his first 10 appearances last season, Nelson made one start and never complained about being bounced back and forth between starting and relieving.

As the season went on and Nelson had success starting, manager Torey Lovullo closely monitored Nelson's pitch count. Lovullo didn't let him throw 100 pitches in a start until Aug. 5. When he was asked why, the manager simply said that he knew the toll the season was taking on Nelson.

Nelson, who appreciated Lovullo's efforts to keep him healthy, went into a little more detail this past week regarding what he experienced.

"There was a lot of soreness," Nelson said. "Full body, arm, the classic shoulder soreness, [an] arm can feel tired. All spring, I was preparing to be a starter, and it was a slow ramp-up, and then once the season started, I got moved to the bullpen, and you're coming into one-run games, so there's more adrenaline than I had had. I think it just kind of shocked the system a little bit. It was never anything major but stuff that we had to maintain and address, so that's where [Lovullo's] protectiveness came from. He wanted to make sure I stayed healthy."

Nelson made getting physically stronger a priority this offseason so he can handle the rigors of making 30 or more starts in 2026.

With that in mind, he's added some muscle and reduced some body fat. He worked on continuing to develop his slider -- which he thought he made big strides with in 2025 -- and his curveball.

The goal is that when he throws those pitches, he's not just throwing them because he needs to, but because he believes and trusts in them.

By the end of 2025, the Diamondbacks realized they could trust Nelson to take the ball every fifth day, and even if he doesn't want to take anything for granted, you can bet they will do so again in 2026.