Weaver to rehab UCL, expects to avoid surgery

PHOENIX -- D-backs right-hander Luke Weaver will not need surgery, but still will likely be out for a prolonged period of time after being diagnosed with a mild right flexor pronator strain and a mild right UCL sprain.

Weaver will treat the injury conservatively through rest and rehab rather than surgery.

While there is speculation the injury could take anywhere from six to eight weeks to heal, the D-backs are staying away from giving any sort of a time frame.

“I don’t want to put a timetable on that because we just have to be as fair as we can to Luke and just make sure he heals, and that’s really what it comes down to,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said.

Weaver was asked if he felt he would be back before the end of this season.

“In my mind, I hope so,” Weaver said. “I feel confident in being able to get on the field as soon as possible. I think there’s a time to get back on there. I don’t know when that’s going to be, but I feel confident that I’m going to hopefully contribute to this ballclub at some point.”

The loss of Weaver for any period of time is a blow to the D-backs.

Weaver had been one of the team’s best starters this year, compiling a 3.03 ERA over 11 starts.

Weaver was removed from his last start in San Francisco last Sunday in the sixth inning with tightness in his forearm.

“My mindset is in a good place,” Weaver said. “It’s obviously a bummer and it stinks to ever be off the field, but these things happen. We try to second-guess and think about ways we could have prevented it, but at the end of the day, it’s hard to do that and it’s hard to do to yourself mentally.”

Weaver’s injury was first diagnosed by team physician Gary Waslewski and confirmed by four additional specialists, Lovullo said.

Clarke and Duplantier for now
With Weaver out for an extended period of time and Zack Godley in the bullpen the D-backs plan to keep Jon Duplantier and Taylor Clarke in the rotation for now.

What they don’t want to do is keep their roster composition at 14 pitchers and 11 position players, as it is now.

However, after taxing their bullpen over the previous four days in Coors Field, the D-backs felt they needed the extra coverage for right now.

“This is very uncustomary to have three extra players on your bench, but this is what we have to do right now,” Lovullo said.

Injury updates
Outfielder David Peralta received a cortisone shot in his ailing right AC joint. He was scheduled to take batting practice Friday and if that goes well, the plan was to have him take some at-bats in an extended spring game on Saturday.

Third baseman Jake Lamb (strained left quadriceps muscle) ran on dirt with spikes for the first time recently and could start a rehab assignment next week.