The San Diego Padres placed pitcher Andrew Cashner on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with what the team is calling “right elbow soreness,” per the Padres’ official Twitter account.
Corey Brock of MLB.com provided more details:
Thomas Harding of MLB.com sheds light on how the Padres will proceed in the meantime:
Cashner, 27, has not pitched since a May 13 win over the Cincinnati Reds, so it is unclear when the injury happened. Though Cashner received a no-decision, he looked healthy tossing seven innings of one-run ball against the Reds.
Bad luck has followed the flame-throwing righty all season long. He holds a 2-5 record despite posting a team-best 2.35 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 47 strikeouts in 57 innings. The Padres are the worst offense in baseball this season, ranking dead last in runs scored, batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. They have scored five or more runs in just one of Cashner‘s starts while being shut out four times.
Cashner has been a steadying figure in San Diego’s rotation since arriving in 2012. A converted reliever, he made 26 starts last season and has been the team’s most steady arm in the rotation thus far. The Padres have stayed near .500 on the back of their elite pitching, which ranks third in ERA and has developed a reputation for consistently getting out of trouble.
Without Cashner, though, skipper Bud Black is going to have to scramble. The team recalled reliever Kevin Quackenbush to replace Cashner, but it’s not immediately clear who will get his spot in the rotation.
San Diego has also not disclosed the severity of Cashner‘s injury. He will, at the very least, miss two turns in the rotation. Given the glut of elbow injuries across Major League Baseball this season, though, any time vague terms like “soreness” get thrown around, it’s concerning.
At the very least, this is a disappointing setback that will send an already scrambling dugout out looking for more answers.
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