Diamondbacks starter Luke Weaver's latest MRI reveals good news

In light of a starting rotation that has struggled of late, Luke Weaver's latest MRI results came as much-needed good news for the Diamondbacks.

Weaver, who suffered a flexor pronator mass sprain and a UCL strain on May 27, received news that both injuries were healing as expected.

Weaver’s absence has been felt in the Diamondbacks’ starting rotation. The club has not found a solution to its fifth spot and has cycled through pitchers from Triple-A Reno to the bullpen.

Weaver seemed to be on the verge of a breakout season with a 3.03 ERA through 11 starts, which made him look like more of a No. 2 starter as opposed to the back-of-the-rotation pitcher he was predicted to be in spring training. Entering play Monday, Weaver still ranked second among pitchers in Wins Above Replacement (1.6) despite not having played in the last month.

Since Weaver's absence, the Diamondbacks pitching staff’s ERA has gone up from 5.00 to 6.27. Weaver recorded four wins while the rotation has only recorded one win in the past seven games.

Manager Torey Lovullo said Weaver will be reevaluated within the next couple days and will not start throwing for the next few weeks.

“This is such a delicate process right now while he’s continuing to heal," Lovullo said, "so the timeline has not been established."

He also mentioned that the 4-6 week shutdown period is still ongoing and has produced the positive results on the MRI.

“I will say, let’s wait until he starts throwing, too,” Diamondbacks General Manager Mike Hazen said. “There’s going to be a lot of tests to pass still. This is a good first step. Everything is moving in the right direction.”

Hazen believes that Weaver will begin his throwing program at the end of the shutdown period.

“I think the consensus was going to be the same no matter what," Hazen said. 

“We’re probably starting around six weeks no matter what."

Even with the good news surrounding his MRI, Weaver likely will not return to the rotation until one month after his throwing program begins. As of right now, there isn’t anything delaying his return.

“What we have right now is good news and we feel like everything’s healing in a good spot for him right now,” Lovullo said.

Other injury updates

Catcher Alex Avila will receive functional testing on his calf on Thursday and will likely begin his rehab later this week. Lovullo said yesterday that he is considering bringing him on the upcoming West Coast road trip. Avila had homered in three consecutive games before placed on the 10-day injured list on June 14.

Jake Lamb's next steps will be determined following his game with the Triple-A Reno on Monday. While his average was .179 through 12 games, Lovullo is only concerned with how he feels health-wise.

"Once he comes off the field," Lovullo said, "we’ll probably sit down and have a meeting to figure out where his status is and determine what the next days will be."

Starting pitcher Taijuan Walker will receive an MRI on his right shoulder after hitting a roadblock in his recovery.

Just kitten around

Third baseman Eduardo Escobar is not a cat person, and teammates David Peralta, Wilmer Flores and Ildemaro Vargas love that about him. 

Well, they love to make fun of him for it. 

Before Monday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the group brought a stuffed cat toy with them into the clubhouse and chased around Escobar while also playing a video emitting cat sounds. Escobar was reluctant to return to the clubhouse after Peralta and Vargas were posted outside with the feline. 

Even though he is not a fan of cats, he does not have an issue with the team's bobcat mascot, Baxter. 

"That's different!" he said in July. "It's a little different."

Short hop

• The Diamondbacks are tied with the Dodgers for the most walk-off victories at six. Both had walk-off victories on Sunday.