Padres Place Blake Snell, Drew Pomeranz On Injured List
5:43 pm: Fortunately, it seems Pomeranz’s IL stint is more precautionary than a sign of long-term concern. Manager Jayce Tingler told reporters (including Dennis Lin of the Athletic) the team hoped he’d return when first eligible on July 17.
5:07 pm: The Padres announced they’ve placed left-hander Blake Snell on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to July 6, due to gastroentiritis. Fellow lefty Drew Pomeranz has gone on the 10-day IL, retroactive to July 7, with inflammation in his throwing forearm. Right-hander Miguel Díaz was recalled from Triple-A El Paso, while righty Reiss Knehr (previously reported) was officially selected to the big league roster to start tonight’s game in Snell’s place. To create a 40-man roster spot for Knear, righty Aaron Northcraft has been designated for assignment.
Snell has been bothered by the stomach illness for the past week-plus. He originally landed on the IL on June 30, but returned to pitch four innings last Sunday. Snell still hasn’t fully recovered, though, and he was unable to start tonight’s game. He’ll be eligible to return for next weekend’s series against the Nationals; with the All-Star Break coming up, it’s possible he’ll only miss tonight’s start.
Pomeranz’s injury sounds a bit more concerning, since any issues with a pitcher’s forearm figure to cause some alarm. There’s no indication at this point the southpaw is facing any sort of extended absence, but it’s another issue in a season that hasn’t been kind to Pomeranz from a health perspective. He dealt with forearm tightness in Spring Training and missed about six weeks between May and June with shoulder and lat troubles. That has kept the star reliever to 17 innings this year, in which he’s worked to a 1.59 ERA with a strong 31.4% strikeout rate and an elevated 12.9% walk percentage.
The Padres selected Northcraft in late April, setting up the right-hander to make his MLB debut at age 30. He’s only allowed two runs over his first eight big league innings, but he’s issued eight walks while striking out just five. Northcraft hasn’t had much success at Triple-A El Paso, working to an 8.10 ERA across 13 1/3 frames. He has, however, induced grounders on more than half the balls in play against him at both the Triple-A and MLB levels.
The Padres will have a week to trade Northcraft or expose him to waivers. If another team acquires him, he can be freely optioned for the remainder of this season.
Padres Recall Aaron Northcraft, Option Nick Ramirez
The Padres optioned Nick Ramirez after last night’s game, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter). Ramirez tossed a pair of scoreless innings early in the Padres’ 10-3 11-inning win on Friday night. He has made seven appearances on the season allowing six earned run across 10 2/3 innings.
Opting to bring in a fresh arm, Aaron Northcraft has been recalled in Ramirez’s place. The 31-year-old Northcraft made his Major League debut this season, tossing six innings across four outings, allowing just a pair of earned runs. The Padres used seven pitchers to get through yesterday’s game, so Northcraft should be put to use pretty quickly for the Friars.
Pitching depth figures to remain an issue throughout the season, even for a team with as many weapons as San Diego. MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell expects the Padres to explore the trade market for a starter and a lefty solution in the pen before the trade deadline. Until that point (and indeed, even after), the Padres are likely to continue to be aggressive in managing their pitching staff with moves like the one today.
Padres Select Aaron Northcraft
The Padres announced that they have selected right-hander Aaron Northcraft from their alternate site, placed injured left-hander Adrian Morejon on the 60-day IL and optioned righty Nabil Crismatt.
This promotion puts Northcraft in position to make his major league debut at the age of 30. Northcraft was a 10th-round pick of the Braves in 2009, but they traded him to the Padres five years later in a December 2014 deal that also sent outfielder Justin Upton to San Diego. The Braves acquired four players in return, including left-hander Max Fried.
Northcraft only lasted in the Padres’ system through 2016, during which he began dealing with elbow problems that sidelined him for a couple of years. He finally returned to pitch professionally with the Mariners in 2019, when he combined for a stingy 2.03 ERA in 40 innings divided among the Low-A, Double-A and Triple-A levels.
Northcraft spent time with the Marlins last year, but the lack of a minor league season stopped him from logging any game action. He returned to the Padres on a minor league deal this past winter.