Diamondbacks-White Sox updates. Two starters won’t travel to Mexico

TL;DR

The Diamondbacks will not take pitchers Michael Soroka and Eduardo Rodriguez to Mexico City for their upcoming series against the White Sox due to concerns about high elevation. Zac Gallen and Ryne Nelson are set to start the games on April 25 and 26.

Key points

Diamondbacks are not taking two pitchers to Mexico City
Michael Soroka and Eduardo Rodriguez will not pitch
Zac Gallen and Ryne Nelson are the scheduled starters
Mexico City is at an elevation of 7,350 feet
Team aims to minimize elevation impact on players

Mentioned in this story

Mexico CityColorado

DiamondbacksWhite SoxMichael SorokaEduardo Rodriguez

Diamondbacks-White Sox updates. Two starters won’t travel to Mexico

The Diamondbacks are holding back right-hander Michael Soroka and left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez from the trip to Mexico City, manager Torey Lovullo said.

Neither is scheduled to pitch in the two-game series — right-handers Zac Gallen and Ryne Nelson will start on Saturday, April 25, and Sunday, April 26, respectively — and the club wants to minimize the impact of the high elevation on their bodies, something Lovullo said the team has done in the past on trips to Colorado.

Mexico City sits at an elevation of 7,350 feet above sea level.

“It’s proven that altitude impacts your body,” Lovullo said. “There’s a little extra wear and tear on it. You might see me shorten some outings. I usually do it by seven to 10 pitches when we go up to Colorado. To keep them out of that environment, we felt like it would help their body prepare for their next set of starts in Milwaukee.”

Right-hander Merrill Kelly will, however, accompany the team to Mexico City.

“The reason why we’re bringing Merrill is it will be his fifth day on Sunday,” Lovullo said. “If something were to absolutely blow up, we could keep him fluid and dump him into a game.”

— Nick Piecoro