Cristian Mena: Everything you need to know

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told reporters Monday that Mena underwent surgery on his right shoulder and will be sidelined for the rest of the season, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports. Mena sustained a teres major strain in his right shoulder in June of 2025, which caused him to miss the rest of that season. He opened 2026 on the 60-day IL and was cleared to resume his throwing program in mid-May. However, it appears Mena suffered another setback in his recovery, and his shoulder injury is severe enough for him to undergo a season-ending procedure. The hope for the Diamondbacks is that the surgery will have the 23-year-old fully healthy for the start of spring training in February.

Mena (shoulder) had been scheduled to resume his throwing program two weeks ago, MLB.com reports. Mena, who has been on the shelf all season while recovering from a right teres major strain, initially began a throwing program in late April before being shut down for a brief period. Though the right-hander appears to be building back up again, the Diamondbacks haven't provided an indication of where exactly he stands in his progression. Considering that he'll eventually need to complete a lengthy rehab assignment before being activated from the 60-day injured list, Mena is most likely at least a month away from joining the Diamondbacks.

The Diamondbacks placed Mena (shoulder) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday. Mena didn't pitch after June 6 last season after straining his right shoulder and had received a clean bill of health heading into spring training before aggravating the injury early in camp. The right-hander remains shut down from throwing and will now be shelved for at least the first two months of the season while he continues to rehab the injury.