Zach Davies Scheduled for Triple-A Reno Rehab Start Tuesday After Back Injury

Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reported that veteran right-hander Zach Davies was scheduled to make a minor-league rehab start for Triple-A Reno on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2026, as he continued his recovery from a back issue. The move matters because Davies figures to be in the Diamondbacks’ mix for rotation depth once healthy, and his ability to stay on the mound will shape Arizona’s plans for early-season innings.

Davies’ recent history shows why this outing will draw attention. He was placed on the injured list in July 2023 with lower-back inflammation and made multiple rehab turns with Triple-A Reno later that summer. FantasyData and CBS Sport excerpts from August 2023 record a rough big-league stretch that season, including a 7.38 ERA and 1.62 WHIP across 12 starts, and 46 strikeouts in 57 1/3 innings. ArizonaSports reported that manager Torey Lovullo said Davies was ready to return from the 15-day injured list in that timeframe, and the club optioned reliever Justin Martinez to Triple-A Reno as a corresponding roster move.

The summer 2023 rehab stat lines are inconsistent across reports but worth chronicling. CBS Sports noted that in three turns for the Aces Davies allowed 13 runs on 22 hits and seven walks while striking out six over 13.1 innings, and that in one rehab outing he threw 87 pitches over six innings. FantasyData recorded a particularly ugly outing of seven runs allowed in three innings on Aug. 18, 2023, while Azsnakepit reported that over two games and 7.1 innings as of the 20th of that month Davies had given up 15 hits and 10 runs with four walks and four strikeouts. ArizonaSports summarized that Davies made three rehab starts with Triple-A Reno and in one of those allowed three runs in six innings. Those varying lines reflect different cutoffs and game-level counts from the same rehab sequence; they underscore that his results were mixed as he tried to regain form.

Davies himself told ArizonaSports in August 2023 that he felt healthier and had focused on a specific back routine: "Just feeling healthy, feeling better, feeling my mechanics can do what I want them to do and not compensating for certain things. Focusing a little bit more on a specific routine for my back and to keep it healthy... being able to throw all my pitches and feel comfortable with throwing all of them." That emphasis on mechanics and durability will be the centerpiece of any evaluation after his Feb. 7 outing.

There is a minor reporting discrepancy to note: National Today republished the MLB.com line but referred to the Triple-A Reno club as the "Reno Reds," while CBS Sports, ArizonaSports and other baseball outlets use Reno Aces or simply Triple-A Reno. Outlets and fans should check official club listings for the definitive nickname.

For Diamondbacks followers, the immediate implications are straightforward. A solid rehab start would give Arizona more confidence in slotting Davies into the rotation or as length behind an opener. Poor results would revive questions about his durability and roster future; Azsnakepit earlier warned there was a chance the club could move on if he could not improve in Reno. The clearest path forward is empirical: examine the box score and pitch-count details from the rehab outing, confirm his ability to mix pitches and reach mid-to-high pitch counts without mechanical compensation, and watch whether the club places him on the active roster or needs additional depth moves. Fans should watch Davies’ outing for signs that his back routine is translating to consistent results and longer windows of availability.