The San Diego Padres lost a potential trade chip as Miguel Andujar went on the IL with a fractured wrist.
The San Diego Padres have been playing like sellers lately, but they lost a solid trade chip when infielder Miguel Andujar was placed on the 10-day injured list after fracturing his right wrist, according to a report written by AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. The Padres recalled catcher Rodolfo Duran to take Andujar’s roster spot.
Wrist injuries are usually serious, but this one may not be that bad. Andujar will be sporting a splint rather than a full cast, and there’s a possibility that he could return some time in August, although that forecast might be optimistic.
“It doesn’t sound like it’s going to be too long,” said Padres manager Craig Stammen. “It sounds like something that could possibly heal pretty fast and he could be back out there, but time will only tell.”
Andujar sustained the injury in Sunday’s 19-2 romp over the Kansas City Royals when he was hit on the hand with a breaking ball from reliever Lucas Erceq, but he was able to stay in the game. The infielder got X-rays after the game that revealed the injury, however, so now he’ll be out for a while.
The timeline raises the possibility that Andujar could be traded while he’s on the IL. The deal would be a minor one that probably wouldn’t bring back much, but Andujar has been solid this season, and occasionally he’s made some strong offensive contributions.
Replacing Andujar will probably mean more at-bats for Gavin Sheets against left-hand pitching, wich isn’t ideal, and the Padres could also use Jace Bowen and Luis Rengifo more in left field. The Padres have been compensating for injuries throughout the season, so this won’t be anything new.
“Just trying to mix and match, get our best lineup out there,” Stammen said. “Right now, the way Song has been playing, he deserves some playing time, definitely. Rengifo, the way he played yesterday, gotta get him in there a little bit more. Jase Bowen, the way he played yesterday, too. Those guys are all garnering more playing time.”
The Padres also got some interesting news on the pitching front, with Nick Pivettta schedule to throw a live BP this week and Joe Musgrove not far behind, according to Cassavell. Jeremiah Estrada is expected to start a rehab stint at Triple-A El Paso. But the ship be sinking fast on the current road trip, which means that Padres have to start winning games for any of this to mean anything.
