Widener ready to 'hit the ground running'

Early in the season, Taylor Widener got his first opportunity to be a member of a big league rotation. And the D-backs right-hander impressed, posting a 2.82 ERA in four April starts.

Now, Widener will look to pick up where he left off a month ago.

After going on the injured list on April 28 with a right groin strain, Widener will be activated to start Sunday’s series finale against the Rockies. It will be the first time he has pitched at Coors Field, although he made three relief appearances against Colorado at home last season.

Widener made one rehab start for Triple-A Reno against Las Vegas on Tuesday. He allowed two runs on three hits (including a pair of solo home runs) and one walk while striking out six over 4 2/3 innings. Widener threw 74 pitches, 46 for strikes.

“He’s been on a great run, he’s been throwing the ball very well, the rehab start in Reno was very good, so we want him to hit the ground running,” manager Torey Lovullo said.

Following his lone rehab outing, Widener said he knew he was ready to return to a big league mound. He sustained the injury while doing a light jog prior to a game in late April, and Lovullo praised him for bringing it to the team’s attention, rather than trying to pitch through the ailment.

That allowed Widener to get through the recovery process and return to the team with more than four months still to go in the regular season.

“I just felt a little twinge in my groin, and I was thinking, ‘Maybe it’s just a little muscle spasm,’ so I went and tried to foam roll and do some stuff to get it to go away, and it just didn’t feel very good,” Widener said. “So finally, I said something, and I was very glad I did, because the next morning it felt a little bit worse.”

With outfielder Ketel Marte coming off the IL this past Wednesday and Widener set to return, the D-backs are beginning to get back some of the key players they’ve missed during their recent tough stretch. Entering Saturday, they had lost six games in a row and 15 of their past 18.

Widener is confident that things are on the upswing for the D-backs.

“I’m definitely very excited to come back,” Widener said. “It’s a long season. All these teams, there are a lot of guys that are injured throughout the league right now. We hit a little bump in the road right now, and we’re going to turn things around soon and go on a nice little run here.”

Kelly nearing return to lineup
Catcher Carson Kelly, who is on the injured list with a tuft fracture in his left big toe, is close to his 10 days being up. He went on the IL last Saturday, retroactive to May 14, and is eligible to be activated before Tuesday’s game against the Giants.

Lovullo is optimistic that Kelly, Arizona’s starting catcher, will be ready to go as soon as he’s eligible.

“We feel very strongly about that,” Lovullo said. “I talked to him [Friday], and he’s already talking about the 11th day, making sure that he’s ready and that he’ll be back. He had a really good day, did full baseball activity, did catching drills and felt good.”

Lovullo also believes that Kelly may not need to go on a rehab assignment before coming off the IL.

As for first baseman Christian Walker (right oblique soreness), Lovullo said that rehab games are possible before a return to the Majors.