The makeup of the Padres’ starting battery will look different in the coming days, as the team lost a pitcher and gained a catcher Tuesday.
Right-hander Lucas Giolito was placed on the injured list with elbow inflammation, and the Padres took the opportunity to alter their starting rotation and give a flagging starter some extra rest.
Left-hander J.P. Sears was recalled to take Giolito’s spot on the roster and will start Wednesday’s series finale against the Braves.
Randy Vásquez was scheduled to face the Braves on Wednesday, but moving him back a game gives him two extra days since the Padres do not have a game Thursday.
Vásquez will start Friday’s series opener against the Dodgers with Walker Buehler and Michael King scheduled to start Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
Also Tuesday, the Padres activated catcher Freddy Fermin off the seven-day concussion IL.
Fermin was not in the lineup against the Braves, as Rodolfo Durán started for the eighth time in nine games since Fermin was sidelined after taking a warm-up pitch to the side of his head on June 13 in Baltimore.
Blake Hunt, who started Saturday against the Rangers after making his MLB debut the night before, was optioned to Triple-A El Paso.
Giolito, who has allowed seven runs in nine innings over his past two starts and has a 5.16 ERA in seven games (five starts) with the Padres, will be out at least through July 6.
Padres manager Craig Stammen said the issue appears to be a recurrence of what caused Giolito to miss his final start of the regular season and be unavailable in the postseason for the Red Sox in 2025.
“He came out of his last start feeling a little bit of elbow stuff, similar to probably what he felt last year — what was like the beginning of him having to be shut down for the season,” Stammen said. “He just alerted the trainers right away and said, ‘Hey, this is what it felt like when this started happening (last year), and then three starts later I was kind of done for the year.’ So just wanted to get out ahead of it and get him right and get him back pitching the way Lucas Giolito should pitch.”
Wednesday was Sears’ scheduled day to start in Triple-A, and subbing him in gave the Padres an opportunity to curb Vásquez’s workload.
The 27-year-old right-hander has pitched 77⅔ innings in his 15 starts. He began the season with a 2.68 ERA through nine starts but has allowed 22 runs (21 earned) in 27⅓ innings over his past six starts.
Friday’s game begins a stretch of 17 games in 17 days leading up to the All-Star break.
Indications are that the Padres will call up Jhony Brito at some point in that period. They could also use openers and/or piggyback pitchers to try to lighten the workload during that stretch.
Rookie reliever Bradgley Rodriguez, who was optioned to the Arizona Complex League last week for some rest, is eligible to return Monday. Reliever Jeremiah Estrada, on the IL with knee inflammation is also trending toward a return before the All-Star break.