Lovullo noted Kevin Ginkel, Paul Sewald and Ryan Thompson as potential options that want the ball in the ninth inning. Then at some point during the season the Diamondbacks will get Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk back, which will cause further chaos at the back end of their bullpen. Fantasy managers who are trying to speculate for saves here may be better served looking elsewhere.

The 26-year-old slugger is hopeful that he’ll be back in time to appear in at least a couple of Cactus League contests before spring training concludes. Even if that does happen though, he’s still likely to open the season on the injured list and will require plenty of at-bats on a rehab assignment to make up for the missed time during the spring.

It’s the first real update we have received on a timeline for the 25-year-old slugger after undergoing surgeries on his elbow and shoulder following a collision at first base in the final month of the regular season. It looks like the Diamondbacks will rely on some combination of Carlos Santana, Tim Tawa and Pavin Smith to hold down the cold corner until then.

The star 31-year-old right-hander is currently recovering from Tommy John surgery and is tentatively targeting a return around the All-Star break. This was done primarily as a procedural move to free up a spot on the team’s 40-man roster to make the Zac Gallen signing official on Sunday.

Puk continues to work his way back from last June’s Tommy John surgery. He claims that he’s ahead of schedule and wants to rejoin the Diamondbacks’ bullpen before the end of June, which would provide a significant boost to the backend of the team’s bullpen. Moving him to the 60-day IL now frees up a spot on the D’Backs’ 40-man roster for the addition of Grant Holman on Sunday.

The A’s removed the 25-year-old hurler from their 40-man roster earlier in the week when they made their signing of Scott Barlow official. Holman has proven to be an outstanding reliever in the minor leagues but has yet to be able to translate that success to the game’s highest level. He makes for a solid depth addition to the Diamondbacks’ bullpen.

The 30-year-old hurler will wind up getting the same guarantee that he turned down when declining the qualifying offer that the Diamondbacks made to him in November, though $14 million of that will be deferred as Gallen will receive $2.8 million per year starting in 2031. His return helps to solidify the Diamondbacks’ rotation. Gallen is more of a flier in mixed leagues than someone you’ll really want to target coming off a dismal 2025 season that helped deflate his free-agency market. There is some win-chasing upside and he should also provide strikeout help.

It’s a tad early for such declarations but fantasy managers will take it. Kelly ostensibly gets the nod for next month’s lid-lifter against the Dodgers over Zac Gallen, who agreed to return to the desert on a one-year pact earlier this weekend. The 37-year-old veteran posted a sparkling 3.52 ERA — 4.15 xERA — 1.11 WHIP and 167/48 K/BB ratio across 184 innings last year between the Diamondbacks and Rangers.

The deal is now official. Sewald, who spent time with Arizona from 2023-2024, fortifies Arizona’s bullpen depth after being limited to just 22 relief appearances between the Guardians and Tigers last year. The 35-year-old former closer could potentially factor into the Diamondbacks’ ninth-inning mix with a strong spring, but it’s a murky situation that fantasy managers should avoid outside of NL-only formats.

Martinez will miss at least the first half of the upcoming season while recovering from last year’s Tommy John surgery. The hard-throwing 24-year-old former closer should return to Arizona’s high-leverage mix at some point in August, barring any setbacks. The procedural move frees up a spot on the club’s 40-man roster for veteran hurler Paul Sewald.