The Diamondbacks placed right-hander Ian Kennedy on the 15-day injured list due to right calf inflammation. The club also announced that Keynan Middleton was called up from Triple-A Reno to take Kennedy’s place on the active roster.
Kennedy had to make a quick departure from Sunday’s game due to the injury, and was scheduled to undergo an MRI today. While the specifics of that MRI result aren’t known, things were obviously serious enough for the D’Backs to put Kennedy on the injured list.
A timetable isn’t yet known about when Kennedy could return, though even if he is able to get back on the mound after the 15-day minimum, he won’t have much time to audition for possible trade suitors. The 35-44 Diamondbacks are looking like sellers at the August 2 trade deadline, and Kennedy (signed to a one-year, $4.75MM deal in March) is a logical candidate to be moved as a rental player.
Since becoming a full-time reliever prior to the 2019 season, Kennedy has sandwiched two solid years around an injury-plagued 2020 campaign. This year in Arizona, the 37-year-old has a 3.58 ERA over 27 2/3 innings, but with plenty of unfavorable Statcast metrics. The righty’s 10.4% walk rate is his highest since 2009, and his 20% strikeout rate is well below the league average.
Kennedy’s trade value could be a moot point if his injury continues to linger throughout July. However, given his track record, there is a chance a team could look past both his health issues and his poor advanced metrics and swing a deal with the D’Backs, even if Arizona might end up still eating the bulk of Kennedy’s remaining salary.
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