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Padres Place Keone Kela On 10-Day Injured List

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The Padres announced that right-hander Keone Kela has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right forearm strain.  Righty Miguel Diaz was called up from Triple-A to take Kela’s spot on the active roster.

Kela pitched to just one batter during a relief appearance in last night’s 5-4 Padres loss to the Giants, as Austin Slater homered off Kela to score the game’s deciding run.  Kela was removed after facing Slater due to an injury that will now keep him out of action for at least the next 10 days, and possibly much longer given the potential seriousness attached to forearm issues.

Due to both forearm tightness and a positive COVID-19 test, Kela was limited to only two innings over three games with the Pirates in 2020.  This season saw the right-hander hit the IL again, missing roughly the 10-day minimum due to shoulder inflammation.  Injuries have been a constant for Kela throughout his pro career, with other elbow and shoulder injuries interrupting what has been a pretty solid series of performances over 227 1/3 career innings with the Padres, Pirates, and Rangers since 2015.

Kela has a 5.06 ERA/3.12 SIERA over 10 2/3 innings with San Diego this season, and while his overall Statcast numbers aren’t very impressive, it’s safe to say that Kela’s injuries have strongly hampered his performance.  Of his six earned runs allowed this season, four have come in the outings directly prior to his two IL placements, when Kela was seemingly not pitching at 100 percent.

Both the Padres’ rotation and bullpen are among the best in baseball despite a swath of injuries this season.  Kela is the 11th pitcher currently on San Diego’s injured list, with maladies ranging from relatively short-term problems to season-ending injuries (i.e. Tommy John surgeries for Adrian Morejon, Jose Castillo, and Michel Baez).

NL Injury Notes: Dodgers, Padres, Brewers

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AJ Pollock of the Dodgers suffered a Grade 1 hamstring strain on Friday, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register (via Twitter). He’s being re-evaluated today. Pollock has been a force for good in Los Angeles this year, slashing .261/.313/.446 with 4 home runs across 99 plate appearances. Matt Beaty or Sheldon Neuse could see time in the outfield if Pollock needs time off. Elsewhere around the National League last night…

  • The Padres had a couple of players leave Friday’s game due to injury. Keone Kela left with forearm tightness, always a scary diagnoses. There has been no update as per his status. Austin Nola, meanwhile, only recently returned from the injured list, burst a blood vessel in his hand. The Padres are hopeful that he can return to the lineup as early as today, per Dennis Lin of the Athletic (via Twitter).
  • Brent Suter got a spot start for the Brewers on Friday, but he lasted just to the third inning before being removed due to injury. Early reports suggest Suter suffered from cramping in his right calf, per Sophia Minnaert of Bally Sports Wisconsin (via Twitter). That’s potentially a big sigh of relief for Milwaukee. Suter has been effective as a multi-inning reliever out of the pen tossing 16 2/3 innings in 12 outings prior to Friday’s spot start. He has a 2.70 ERA/3.58 FIP on the year with a strong 54.3 percent groundball rate, 22.4 percent strikeout rate, and 6.0 percent walk rate.

Health Notes: Sale, Middleton, Odor, Ona, Graterol

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Red Sox ace Chris Sale worked off a mound today for the first time in his recovery from March 2020 Tommy John surgery, Jen McCaffrey of the Athletic was among those to relay (Twitter link). There’s still no timetable for Sale’s potential return to game action, although getting on the mound obviously represents a notable step forward. At 18-13, the Red Sox are off to a strong start and could be a legitimate contender in a tough AL East. Boston’s rotation looks to be the weak point on the roster, but it’s held up fairly well so far. Sox starters have a middle-of-the-pack 4.02 ERA/4.00 SIERA over the season’s first month-plus.

Other health situations around the league:

  • This morning, the Mariners announced they’ve placed reliever Keynan Middleton on the 10-day injured list with a right biceps strain. Fellow righty Wyatt Mills was recalled in his place. Middleton, 27, has tossed 11 2/3 innings of five-run ball in the early going, striking out nine against six walks. Middleton, who underwent a Tommy John surgery in May 2018, spent the 2017-20 seasons with the division-rival Angels.
  • The Yankees placed infielder Rougned Odor on the 10-day injured list this afternoon. He’s dealing with a left knee sprain. Right-hander Albert Abreu was recalled to take his place on the active roster. Odor, acquired from the Rangers at the beginning of the regular season, hasn’t offered a whole lot offensively in the early going. He’s hitting just .164/.271/.361 over his first 70 plate appearances with New York. To his credit, Odor has massively improved upon his strikeout and walk rates from recent seasons though.
  • Padres outfielder Jorge Oña underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow yesterday, Dennis Lin of the Athletic was among those to pass along (Twitter link). He’s expected to be out of action for six to eight weeks. Oña, 24, made a very brief MLB debut last season, tallying 15 plate appearances over five games. Other than that limited major league time, Oña only has 103 trips to the plate above the low minors (in Double-A in 2019), so he likely would’ve started the year at Triple-A El Paso even if he’d been healthy.
  • Dodgers reliever Brusdar Graterol, placed on the injured list last week because of forearm tightness, was known to be headed for an MRI. Fortunately, testing showed no structural damage, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). That’s especially welcome news since the flamethrowing Graterol underwent a Tommy John procedure back in 2016. There’s still no indication when he might return to game action.

Padres Activate Dinelson Lamet

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5:20pm: San Diego announced that it has optioned righty Miguel Diaz to its alternate site to clear room for Lamet.

4:39pm: The Padres have activated right-hander Dinelson Lamet from the 10-day injured list, per a team announcement. He’ll start their game against the Pirates on Tuesday.

This will be the first start since April 21 for Lamet, who was making his season debut then. Lamet exited that appearance after just two innings with forearm tightness, leading to fears that he would require a second Tommy John surgery. Fortunately for him and the Padres, he was able to quickly work his way back from the injury.

The past several months have been difficult from a health standpoint for Lamet, whose 2020 season came to an end in late September when he suffered a UCL strain. Before that, Lamet enjoyed a breakout year with 69 innings of 2.09 ERA pitching and a 34.8 percent strikeout rate against a 7.5 percent walk rate. That stellar performance led to a fourth-place finish in National League Cy Young balloting.

Even with almost no contributions from Lamet this year, the Padres have begun a solid 17-13 – one game back of the NL West-leading Giants. San Diego’s starters have put up a stingy 2.81 ERA through the team’s first 30 games.

Latest On Padres Rotation

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After a flurry of offseason acquisitions, the Padres entered the season with arguably one of the deepest pools of rotation candidates in the game. But just a month into the season, even the Padres are already looking at a bullpen game. Miguel Diaz will be the nominal starter today, but the 26-year-old right-hander has been working 3-4 inning stints at the Padres’ alternate site in preparation, writes Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. He has appeared in 47 games for the Padres going back to 2017 and only three times as a starter.

In the near term, the Padres are holding out hope that either Ryan Weathers or Dinelson Lamet will be ready to start on Tuesday, adds Acee. Said manager Jayce Tingler, “Both of them were pretty aggressive with their bullpens today and came out reporting feeling well. We think that’s a good step for both guys. We’ll see how they respond tomorrow and go from there.”

Lamet has made just one start his year, going two scoreless before being removed because of forearm soreness. Weathers, 21, was the youngest starting pitcher in baseball, and he’d been nothing short of brilliant before leaving his last start with arm soreness. The young southpaw has a 0.55 ERA/3.23 FIP over 16 1/3 innings combined out of the pen and rotation.

There remains no word on Chris Paddack, who was placed on the injured list without an injury designation. Presumably, that points to something Covid-19-related (be it a positive test, close contact or self-reported symptoms). That could mean a quick turnaround for Paddack as we have seen with a few players this year, but only time will tell. If Paddack isn’t able to return shortly, the Friars hope that Lamet and Weathers could fill out the rotation. Otherwise, Diaz may be in for more than just a spot start.

Padres Place Chris Paddack On IL, Select Miguel Diaz

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The Padres have placed right-hander Chris Paddack on the injured list and selected the contract of fellow righty Miguel Diaz, the team announced.

“I can’t really disclose a lot of information,” manager Jayce Tingler said of Paddack’s IL placement (via AJ Cassavell of MLB.com).

Tingler’s comment suggests Paddack is out for reasons related to COVID-19. Regardless, he’s the latest Padres starter to go on the shelf in the past couple weeks, joining righty Dinelson Lamet (forearm) and lefty Adrian Morejon (Tommy John surgery).

Paddack was a standout for the Padres in his debut campaign, 2019, but hasn’t been able to match his rookie production over the past season-plus. The 25-year-old hasn’t lasted more than 5 1/3 innings in any of his five starts this season, and across 23 1/3 overall frames, he has recorded a disappointing 5.40 ERA. However, some of Paddack’s other numbers – including a 3.22 FIP, a 3.66 xFIP, a 3.98 SIERA and a 6.7 percent walk rate – have been much more favorable.

Diaz, 26, appeared with the Padres in each season from 2017-19, but he could only muster a 6.61 ERA during that 66 2/3-inning stretch. The Padres non-tendered Diaz heading into the 2020 season, but they quickly brought him back on a minor league contract. They re-signed him to another minors deal prior to this season.

NL Notes: Padres, Lamet, Weathers, Godley, Romine

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The Padres could welcome back Dinelson Lamet from the injured list to start Sunday’s game against the Giants, writes AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. The righty got through a bullpen session this afternoon and the team will monitor how he responds over the next few days, manager Jayce Tingler told reporters. There was plenty of concern when Lamet, a 2018 Tommy John patient, left his first start of the year with forearm tightness after having his season debut delayed by a biceps issue. However, it seems he’s avoided any serious problems and could return after spending the minimum ten days on the IL during this most recent stint.

More from San Diego and the rest of the National League:

  • Padres starter Ryan Weathers left his outing this evening against the Diamondbacks after one inning with left arm soreness, per a team announcement. The young southpaw topped out at 92.8 MPH with his fastball, down rather significantly from its typical mid-90’s range, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune was among those to note (Twitter link). That prompted a mid-inning visit from the team trainer, although Weathers did finish the frame and didn’t appear to be in obvious pain while he was on the mound. It isn’t yet clear if Weathers is in jeopardy of missing any future starts.
  • Brewers starter Zack Godley is headed to the injured list with a bruised finger, per Todd Rosiak and Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The right-hander left this afternoon’s game against the Marlins in the fourth inning after sustaining the injury on a bunt attempt the frame before. Today’s outing marked Godley’s first appearance of the season, as the 31-year-old was only selected to the 40-man roster earlier in the day. With Godley out, Eric Lauer will start tomorrow against the Dodgers and could be in line to join Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes, Freddy Peralta and Adrian Houser in the rotation.
  • Cubs catcher Austin Romine went on the injured list early this week, and it seems he’s in for an extended absence. Manager David Ross called Romine’s left wrist sprain “significant” and said the backstop would be out for a while (via Russell Dorsey of the Chicago Sun-Times). Tony Wolters was selected to the roster to back up Willson Contreras with Romine on the shelf.

Padres Activate Austin Nola, Option Luis Campusano

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The Padres announced they’re activating catcher Austin Nola from the injured list before this evening’s game against the Diamondbacks. Fellow backstop Luis Campusano has been optioned to the alternate training site in a corresponding move. Víctor Caratini will get the start in tonight’s contest.

Nola will be making his regular season debut when he first gets on the field. He’s been out since fracturing his left middle finger during a Spring Training game on March 13. His return will be a welcome development for the Friars, who have started 13-12 in his absence. Acquired from the Mariners before last summer’s trade deadline, Nola hit .222/.324/.381 in 74 plate appearances down the stretch. That level of offense is more adequate than stellar, but the former Marlins farmhand put up a much stronger .280/.351/.476 mark over 377 plate appearances while playing quality defense for Seattle over the prior season-plus.

In Nola’s absence, the Padres have leaned on Caratini and Campusano behind the plate, to disappointing results. The former has posted a .236/.317/.327 slash over 63 plate appearances, while the latter has only mustered an .088/.184/.088 mark in 38 trips to the dish. Campusano is a supremely talented prospect, but he certainly looks as if he could use more developmental time in the minor leagues. That’s hardly surprising, as the 22-year-old had topped out at High-A in 2019 before last year’s minors cancellation.

Yonder Alonso Joins MLB Network

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Recently retired slugger Yonder Alonso has joined the MLB Network as an on-air analyst, the network announced in a Tuesday press release. He’ll debut as a guest co-host on Intentional Talk this Friday.

“I am beyond thankful to be joining MLB Network’s team, and I can’t thank everybody enough that has helped me get to this point,” Alonso said in today’s press release. “Having just retired, I look forward to having fun and contributing new insights about the game to baseball fans all over the world.”

The 34-year-old Alonso announced his retirement back in November after a 10-year big league career split between the Padres, Athletics, Reds, Rockies, Indians, Mariners and White Sox. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2008 draft, Alonso finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting with the Padres in 2012 and was an All-Star with the 2017 A’s. He finished up his playing days with a career .259/.332/.404 batting line and an even 100 home runs.

Injury Notes: Pham, Cueto, Flores, Yaz, Springer

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Tommy Pham came up limping after grounding out in the second inning of tonight’s Padres game in Los Angeles, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com (via Twitter). Pham stopped running about halfway down the baseline, clearly uncomfortable. Pham’s reaction, while muted, also suggested that he knew something was off as he reached for his ankle. An Achilles injury is the fear, but the injury appears to be left calf tightness, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter). As for tonight, Jorge Mateo took over in left for Pham. Elsewhere…

  • Johnny Cueto is likely to miss a third start before returning from the injured list, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). Cueto was placed on the injured list ten days ago with a grade 1 lat strain. The expectation at the time was that he would miss two starts, so it sounds like he’ll miss that target. That said, there was no indication that the injury was any more severe than originally diagnosed. Cueto should still be able to return shortly. In the meantime, Logan Webb will get at least one more turn in the rotation. Complicating matters in a good way for the Giants, Webb went seven scoreless against the Marlins today.
  • Also in San Francisco, Wilmer Flores missed today’s ballgame because he was under the weather, but after receiving fluids he’s on the mend. Mike Yastrzemski, meanwhile, was taken out of the game because of left oblique tightness, per the Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly (via Twitter). Because of their short bench, don’t be surprised if Yaz lands on the injured list tomorrow, but the team gave no indication one way or the other.
  • Blue Jays fans may finally get the chance to see offseason acquisition George Springer this week. Per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sports.net.ca (via Twitter), manager Charlie Montoyo said, ““I’m optimistic that Springer’s got a good chance on Tuesday.” Springer’s return still hinges on his a final check-up, but the club hopes the 31-year-old will be in the lineup to face Max Scherzer in Dunedin on Tuesday.
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