Diamondbacks’ Robbie Ray making progress but won’t start this week

After a stretch of 20 games in 20 days, Diamondbacks left-hander Robbie Ray was among the few players working on the team’s scheduled off-day Monday.

Ray, who was hit in the head by a line drive on July 28 in St. Louis, threw a 28-pitch bullpen session and came out of it feeling well, according to manager Torey Lovullo. It was announced Tuesday that rookie southpaw Anthony Banda would start in Ray’s place against the Dodgers on Thursday.

“He got on the mound and felt very good,” Lovullo said. “Came in today saying things were just fine and played catch again today. We’ll see how Robbie is tomorrow and when that next bullpen will be. He’s certainly trending in a positive direction.”

Ray was struck by a 108 mph comebacker off the bat of Cardinals infielder Luke Voit. Diagnosed with a concussion, the lefty was immediately taken to a hospital and had a pair of staples put into the side of his head to close a wound.

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Ray returned to Phoenix prior to the team’s series in San Francisco and was cleared for baseball activities on Thursday. He played catch on Friday and Saturday and took Sunday off before his bullpen on Monday.

“He’s such a great self-evaluator and gives us such honest feedback that we feel like this process should go smoothly,” Lovullo said. “If everything goes as positive as it has been, we could possibly predict when he’s going to get back on the mound.”

Although Ray has been trending in the right direction, Lovullo said the team hasn’t yet looked ahead to when the All-Star pitcher could return to game action.

“The next step is to throw another bullpen,” Lovullo said. “We haven’t determined an outing or any type of game activity, just taking it piece by piece.”

Shortstop shaping up

The injuries to Nick Ahmed and Chris Owings have forced newcomers to occupy the shortstop position for the Diamondbacks, but Lovullo doesn’t see that as a bad thing.

The play of Ketel Marte, the 23-year-old infielder acquired in the Taijuan Walker deal, has been a pleasant surprise to many. It’s also earned him the lion’s share of starts at shortstop.

“Ketel is a true shortstop, so for the time being, we’ll give the bulk of the workload to Ketel, who’s been very productive and has earned that,” Lovullo said. “I think we all have seen what he’s done and the impact he’s made on this ballclub. To me, that’s obvious.”

Marte has hit .257 with an .829 OPS in 70 at bats since his promotion from Triple-A Reno. The Diamondbacks also acquired utility infielder Adam Rosales from the Athletics, and the right-handed hitter figures to slot in at shortstop against some lefties.

Meanwhile, Ahmed has had surgery on his broken wrist, removed the cast and the pins and is in the process of ramping up baseball activities.

“Getting hit and having surgery, I didn’t really know what to expect,” Ahmed said. “But once I had the surgery and got the cast off and the pins out, it was really stiff. I was really nervous, but it’s been steady progress every day.”

Ahmed was placed on the 60-day disabled list on June 28, which would make him eligible for the home series with the Dodgers at the end of August. He’s been hitting off the tee and taking underhand flips, as well as building strength in throwing.

“I’ve thrown two days now, and it keeps feeling better. There won’t be a problem with my arm, it’ll be in great shape,” he said. “I’ll definitely be ready (to come off the DL) and hopefully be at 100 percent and ready for a playoff push.”

Hernandez making an impression

Since being acquired from the Braves at the trade deadline, right-hander David Hernandez has established himself as a weapon in the Arizona bullpen.

The reliever has pitched in three games for the Diamondbacks, allowing no runs, hits or walks and striking out a pair of batters. Lovullo sees him as a late-innings arm who doesn’t apply to traditional bullpen matchups.

“He is able to go and throw against right- and left-handed batters,” Lovullo said. “He’s got weapons against both sides of the plate, and that’s a great luxury a manager can carry around knowing you don’t have to match up late in the game. He’s been locked in and had a great year, and we want that to continue here.”

What stands out to the manager is Hernandez’s strong performances even while being thrown into high-leverage situations upon his arrival. Lovullo sees no reason to ramp down the intensity of his moments.

“He has risen to the challenge,” Lovullo said. “He’s performed each and every time out there, so we’re going to give him the ball in some key situations as we have. We’re really enjoying what we’ve seen so far.”

Short hops

• Yasmany Tomas continued his baserunning progression as he rehabs a groin injury, running the bases in arc formations over the last couple of days. Still, there hasn’t been talk of when the Cuban slugger could return to game action. “Yasmany has been working on his baserunning progression,” Lovullo said. “There’s a natural thought to what he needs to do before we send him out for some games. But he’s continuing to do all normal baseball activities.”
• Right-hander Randall Delgado initiated a throwing program and threw from 90 feet on Monday. Delgado, who is nursing an elbow injury, responded positively to the session. 
• Outfielder Rey Fuentes, on the DL with a thumb contusion, will play a rehab game with Triple-A Reno on Tuesday.

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Wednesday’s game

Dodgers at Diamondbacks

When: 6:40 p.m.

Where: Chase Field (Roof hotline: 602-462-6262)

Pitchers: Diamondbacks RHP Zack Greinke (13-4, 3.10) vs. Dodgers LHP Alex Wood (13-1, 2.33).

TV/Radio: FSAZ/KMVP-FM (98.7), KHOV-FM (105.1)

You’d be hard-pressed to find a better pitching matchup all season. Greinke was hit hard his last outing, giving up nine hits and six earned runs to the Chicago Cubs in six innings. … At Chase Field, he’s 10-0 with a 2.39 ERA and has struck out 95 batters in 79 innings. … Greinke lost his only previous start against the Dodgers this year when he allowed five runs in five innings way back in April. … Wood has been a revelation for the Dodgers but he’s already pitched 40 more innings than he did all last year and recently complained of some fatigue in his left arm.

Coming up

Thursday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Anthony Banda (1-1, 3.86) vs. Dodgers RHP Yu Darvish (7-9, 3.81).

Friday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks TBD vs. Cubs RHP John Lackey (9-9, 4.81).

Saturday: At Chase Field, 5:10 p.m., Diamondbacks TBD vs. Cubs LHP Jon Lester (8-6, 3.97).