Inbox: Will Godley stick in the rotation?

Do you see Zack Godley making it the entire season in the starting-pitching role?
-- Mary, Chandler, Ariz.

This week’s Inbox has plenty of questions centered around Godley and the starting rotation. That’s understandable given his performance and the fact that D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said after his last start that the team was discussing its options with regards to the rotation.

With off-days on Monday and Thursday, the team could skip Godley’s next turn if they wanted and then reinsert him the next time through. That would involve some juggling with other guys, but it’s doable and might be their best option as it would give Godley some time to work on whatever adjustments he needs to make.

I don’t get the sense the D-backs are ready to give up on the 29-year-old. This is a guy who was a very big piece for them in 2017 and had a decent year last year as well. So I could see him figuring out whatever seems to be causing his issues right now and then returning to form.

Explain to me why Jon Duplantier was sent down after pitching so well against the Cubs on Sunday.
-- Bill H., Tempe, Ariz.

The D-backs need to add an arm to the bullpen for Tuesday after Sunday’s 15-inning game. With Duplantier throwing four innings and 58 pitches, he was not going to be available until Friday.

Again, Duplantier is the top-ranked pitching prospect in the organization per MLB Pipeline, and no one is arguing that his performance in the big leagues this year has been anything but outstanding. However, he needs to get stretched out as a starter so that if the need arises for a starter at the big league level this year, he’s ready to step into it.

Because of an illness in the spring and his stint in the Majors as a reliever at the beginning of April, Duplantier still has not gotten much past 60 pitches, and he’ll need to in order to be ready to join Arizona's rotation.

At what point in the season should the D-backs look to extend the contract of Adam Jones? Though I understand that the season is early, I feel he may be ripe for a contract that is both affordable for the D-backs and agreeable to an aging vet.
-- Sean M., Phoenix

My guess is that neither side probably feels a lot of urgency about this right now. The D-backs probably still need to determine whether they’re going to be a contending team or not while Jones, 33, might want to see how this season plays out. If he continues to perform at a high level, it could set him up for a better deal in the offseason.

Make no mistake, though, at this point the D-backs are thrilled with what Jones has brought both in on-field production and the leadership he’s had in the clubhouse.