D-backs closer Paul Sewald injured, will miss ‘weeks’

PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks were already going to open the 2024 season down one of their starting pitchers, and now, the team will be without their closer as well, manager Torey Lovullo announced on Monday. 

Paul Sewald, one of Arizona’s key acquisitions during the 2023 season ahead of the team’s run to the World Series, will open the season on the injury list with a grade two left oblique strain. 

Lovullo added that it could be some time before Sewald takes the field in the ninth inning for Arizona in 2024. 

“It’s gonna be in terms of weeks, not days,” Lovullo said.  

Lovullo added that he does not know yet who will fill in as the closer for the D-backs.   

After being acquired in a trade with the Seattle Mariners at the MLB trade deadline on July 31, 2023, Sewald saved 13 games, struck out 20 batters and had a 3.57 ERA. 

Sewald was a star for the D-backs in their postseason run in 2023. In the National League Wild Card Series against Milwaukee, the NL Division Series against Los Angeles and the NL Championship Series against Philadelphia, Sewald was nearly unhittable as he closed out six games, only gave up three hits, struck out 11 batters and a did not give up a run. 

However, Sewald did not find that same magic in the World Series against Texas, as he was unable to close out any wins, and gave up six hits and six runs in two appearances.  

The D-backs re-signed Sewald to a one-year, $7.35 million deal in January. He will be a free agent after the 2024 season. 

This comes less than a week after starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez, who Arizona signed to a four-year, $80 million deal in the offseason, was sidelined with a lat strain.  

“He’s going to be shut down from throwing until he’s asymptomatic,” Lovullo said about Rodriguez on March 22. “I know you guys want to know lengths of time, all the common questions that I want to know, but we don’t know that. It’s going to depend on how he progresses and how he’s feeling day by day. We’re going to assess it daily and build it out from there.” 

Opening Day for the Diamondbacks is on Thursday. They will host the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. 

The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, NBA’s Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB’s Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL’s Arizona Coyotes.

The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU’s Tempe campus.

Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL’s Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.

The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football’s Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.

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