The Padres placed Casey Mize on the 15-day injured list with an ankle injury one day after the struggling starter acknowledged his physical limitations.
The San Diego Padres have made a significant change to their pitching staff just days before the postseason begins.
Right-hander Casey Mize was placed on the 15-day injured list with an ankle injury Saturday, one day after another difficult start against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The move comes after Mize acknowledged that the ankle has continued to affect him and said it was time to have "honest conversations" about his physical limitations.
Mize allowed seven runs on seven hits, including three home runs, over four innings in Friday's 11-4 loss to Arizona. He walked two and struck out one as the Padres missed an opportunity to secure the National League's top wild-card spot.
Afterward, Mize revealed that the ankle was preventing him from using his lower half the way he wanted.
The right-hander originally sprained his right ankle in August when he slipped on the dugout steps during a game against the Minnesota Twins. He attempted to pitch through the injury that night and later returned to San Diego's rotation.
But Mize's performance has fallen off dramatically since the Padres acquired him from the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline.
Mize had a 2.70 ERA in 16 starts with Detroit before San Diego acquired him as part of its aggressive deadline push.
In 10 starts since joining the Padres, Mize is 2-4 with a 7.46 ERA, 25 strikeouts and 19 walks.
Manager Craig Stammen acknowledged after Friday's loss that Mize was "not at his best" and said the Padres would have conversations with him about how to move forward.
One day later, the Padres made the roster move.
Mize's placement on the 15-day IL takes him out of consideration for the Wild Card Series, which begins Tuesday. The Padres have lined up Michael King for Game 1, with Nick Pivetta and Walker Buehler the leading candidates to follow him in the best-of-three series.
For Mize, the timing is particularly disappointing after San Diego acquired him in August with the hope that he would help bolster its rotation for a postseason run.
