Padres Bullets: Good News On The Injury Front

[Randy Holt]

The San Diego Padres play baseball today. 

After a tough close to the series against the New York Yankees (in more ways than one), they'll get a bit of a reprieve when they head to Colorado for a three-game set against the Rockies. The Padres will send Randy Vásquez, Stephen Kolek, and Nick Pivetta across the trio of tilts in Denver. Here's everything you need to know about the organization (and the league) heading into the weekend. 

Cease, Merrill Apparently Fine

• Disappointing as Wednesday's extra innings loss in the Bronx was, the outcome could have been much worse. Especially with the injury luck the Padres have had thus far in 2025. With forearm cramping, Dylan Cease left his best start of the year (taking a no-hitter into the seventh). Jackson Merrill, who returned from his hamstring injury on Tuesday, caught a pitch from Devin Williams on his left forearm. But Cease passed the post-game tests, and Merrill remained in the game. We have no reason to think either will miss time at this point. It at least feels reassuring that not every potential injury results in an IL stint, as the broader picture of this year would have us believe.

Darvish's Live Work

• On Thursday, Yu Darvish took another step forward in his recovery from elbow inflammation that has delayed his start to the year. He was set to throw at least one session to live hitters ahead of what could be a first rehab start on Tuesday. Given that Tuesday is four days away, we're likely at least a few weeks away from seeing Darvish take the mound for San Diego. But given that they're cobbling together a rotation that has, thus far, included the likes of Vásquez's no-strikeout, all-walk outcomes, Kolek's reliever-to-starter transition, and the struggling Kyle Hart, his impending return should bring some sorely needed stability to the group. Whenever that happens to be.

Cronenworth Inching Closer

• That the Padres have been so successful without Merrill & Jake Cronenworth in the lineup for weeks is nothing short of a miracle. A top-heavy group to begin with, they've stayed the course courtesy of just enough offense and a dominant bullpen. But with Merrill returning to immediate success, they could get another key component of their lineup back as soon as Friday. After consecutive rehab starts in El Paso, Cronenworth could join his comrades in Colorado on Friday. He hasn't appeared in a game since April 9th, courtesy of a fractured rib. A fully healthy lineup against this Rox club in Denver? Oof. In a good way.

Bellatti Released

• Andrew Bellatti signed with the Padres toward the end of spring training. After a strong 2022 in Philadelphia, he could not replicate that success the following season, largely due to injury setbacks. He spent all of 2024 in Lehigh Valley. A depth signing to begin with, Bellatti was always going to find it difficult to break into this bullpen picture, given the volume and early dominance. But after 4.2 innings of work, it leaned more toward impossible. He allowed 10 hits, five walks, and six runs. The Padres announced his release on Thursday.

Rosario Makes El Paso History

• That Eguy Rosario was unable to crack a bench job out of spring training was wrought more from roster logistics than any of his own shortcomings. He's had a tough run of it in El Paso (his wRC+ is 7), but he made a little bit of positive history earlier this week, when he hit his 49th career home run for the Chihuahuas. The previous record of 48 was held by Cody Decker. Not bad for only being 25.

 

Pirates Sack Shelton

• Perhaps the biggest news to come out of Major League Baseball on Thursday was that the Pittsburgh Pirates announced their firing of manager Derek Shelton. A team that carries the 27th-ranked payroll in the sport and has famously refused to invest in its lineup (despite some quality pitching on their roster) laid their early struggles at the feet of their skipper. The irony here was further illustrated as owner Bob Nutting cited the "need to act with a sense of urgency and take the steps necessary to fix this now to get back on track as a team and organization" as part of his statement. For sure, man.

Devers Out on First Base

• If you follow the Boston Red Sox with any shred of attention, you're probably like the rest of us in thinking that moving Rafael Devers to first base in order to replace Triston Casas following the latter's season-ending injury would make some sense. A former third baseman with below-average defensive production flipping over to the other corner? Sure. We've seen it before. Just know, though, that Devers isn't thinking that. Not even a little bit. After expressing an initial refusal to move off third base following the signing of Alex Bregman, Devers took to his new post as the designated hitter just fine. He isn't willing to do it again: 

Devers on conversation with Breslow (via translator): “ I know I'm a ballplayer, but at the same time, they can't expect me to play every single position out there. In break training, they talked to me and basically told me to put away my glove, that I wasn't going to play any other position but DH.

— Alex Speier (@alexspeier.bsky.social) May 8, 2025 at 2:24 PM

View full article