What Happened to Zac Gallen? Diamondbacks Star’s Hamstring Injury Update After Mid-Game Exit vs Mets

Diamondbacks Ace RHP Zac Gallen left the game on Thursday night after only six pitches due to a right hamstring injury

By Natasha Bose

Published on May 31, 2024 | 05:36 PM IST | 36.1K

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Zac Gallen exits mid-game owing to his hamstring injury. Image sourced from his instagram

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How did Zac Gallen get injured?
Zac Gallen has previously had troubles with hamstring

Zac Gallen, the top starting pitcher for the Diamondbacks, had to leave mid-game on Thursday night after only six pitches due to, what the team’s calling, a right hamstring strain. Those in the field know that this is a troubling setback.

Gallen got hurt while pitching to his second batter. He had just given up a single to Francisco Lindor when he injured himself during his first pitch to DJ Stewart.

After that pitch, Gallen hopped and carefully walked around the mound. Then, the manager Torey Lovullo, pitching coach Brent Strom, and the team's trainers came to check on him. They decided to pull him out of the game, and he limped toward the dugout.

How did Zac Gallen get injured?

It occurred on the pitch before his last one that night. Gallen left the game after throwing a ball to D.J. Stewart, but he felt the injury on the previous pitch, which Lindor hit for a single.

"Just hamstring grabbed on me," Gallen explained about the pitch to Lindor. "So [I] threw another person to see if it was severe in the sense of if I could keep pitching or not."

Lovullo mentioned that it wasn't clear yet if Gallen would need to go on the injured list, but Gallen seemed to think he would. He hoped the injury was similar to a past hamstring issue that only sidelined him for two weeks.

Lovullo said they would send Gallen back to Arizona on Friday for further evaluation to decide if he needs to go on the injured list.

Zac Gallen has previously had troubles with hamstring

This isn't Gallen's first problem with his hamstring this year. He had to leave a game on April 26 in Seattle after a pitch because of right hamstring tightness, and he felt similar tightness during a game on May 18 against Detroit. He said it felt almost like a cramp, but the team was encouraged enough that they didn't do an MRI.

Despite these issues, the latest injury isn't too serious, according to Gallen. "The one in Seattle was a little bit more minor," he said. "This one is mild, I guess. It felt similar to what I did in 2021. I don’t really know the scale, I just knew I couldn’t really keep going or if I did I would put the team in jeopardy and not give them a chance to win."

To set some context here, three years ago, Gallen had a similar issue against the San Francisco Giants, diagnosed later as a Grade 1 strain. He was back playing 15 days after that.

Manager Torey Lovullo is not the one to lose heart, though. He always tries to stay hopeful when his players are hurt. He admitted, "It’s not great news; I’m not going to lie," but he remains optimistic.