PHOENIX -- For the Arizona Diamondbacks, figuring out the next turn through the rotation is going to be a process of mixing and matching.
As they bide time until Michael Soroka returns from his stint on the injured list, where he was placed on Sunday with some shoulder inflammation, the Diamondbacks have to figure out how to get through this weekend which features a strange four-game series with the Giants.
Originally scheduled as a four-game set from Thursday through Sunday, it was changed to a four-game set from Thursday through Saturday with Saturday being a day-night doubleheader.
The Diamondbacks hope that Soroka will miss just the minimum 15 days. On Monday they optioned Mitch Bratt, who lasted just three innings against the Reds on Sunday, to Triple-A Reno leaving them with two spots to fill this turn through the rotation.
"Fluid and challenging," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said of the rotation at the moment. "Several of our main participants are not able to go out and compete because they're hurt, and that's part of the game. So that's one side of it. And then you know, responsive and curious as to who will step up and get that opportunity and make the most of it. Because there are pitchers that will step into this arena and get that chance, and I want them to be as race-ready as they possibly can."
Normally when a pitcher is optioned to the Minors like Bratt was, he must remain there for at least 15 days before being recalled.
There are exceptions, though, and one of them is that they can be called up before 15 days if they're taking the place of an injured player. That's how the club was able to recall Gerardo Carrillo on Sunday before he had spent 15 days in the Minors.
Another exception is if the player is called up for a doubleheader. Per Major League rules, each team in a doubleheader can call up a 27th player. So if the Diamondbacks wanted to use Bratt in one of those doubleheader games on Saturday, he could be their extra player and could be recalled.
The 27th player has to be optioned back to the Minor Leagues immediately after the doubleheader.
So Bratt could be a way the Diamondbacks fill one of the open three spots they'll need with the doubleheader.
"We're gonna be relying on some of the younger guys to step up and throw some good games for us until the other group comes back," general manager Mike Hazen said.
The "other group" that Hazen refers to includes not just Soroka but also veterans Zac Gallen and Corbin Burnes.
After the series in San Francisco, the Diamondbacks return home for a three-game set with the Phillies before hitting the road to Houston and Kansas City.
Burnes, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, could be ready to rejoin the rotation during the Houston series, while Gallen (right elbow inflammation) would be eligible to return in Kansas City, as would Soroka.
The sudden shuffle with the rotation is why Hazen bristles whenever he gets questions about having too many starters. It's also why he tried to add a starter at the Trade Deadline, but had a couple of deals fall through at the last minute.
"You never really have too much starting pitching, no matter where you are during the course of the season," Hazen said. "I mean, it's frustrating, but it's the way the game goes, it's what we know. It's kind of how you have to build and prepare yourself. I think that was part of the frustration of not getting a starting pitcher at the Deadline."