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Padres Promote Morgan As Estrada Sustains Shoulder Injury
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- Padres Promote Morgan As Estrada Sustains Shoulder Injury
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
The San Diego Padres announced that they've placed reliever Jeremiah Estrada on the IL once again, according to a report from AJ Cassavell of MLB.com as right-hander David Morgan was recalled from Triple-A El Paso to take his place on the roster.
This will be Estrada's third visit to the IL this year, with the injury described before today's game as a "impingement." He'll be on the 15-day IL this time around, with his previous stints cominf due to right elbow tendinitis back in April and right knee inflammation for two months during the middle of season.
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The Padres have had to push their bullpen hard to stay in contention until recently, with Estrada's injury being a likely result of that strategy. San Diego was relying on something the team called "pitching chaos," which was basically a couple of weeks of all hands being on deck whenever needed.
The Padres added two starters at the deadline, and Casey Mize and Robbie Ray have provided occasional length. But several of the secondary relievers are close to running on fumes, so the Padres could be looking recently DFA'd relievers like Michael Fulmer of the Angels to fill in some of the gaps for the stretch run.
As for Estrada, his stats to date fit those of the rest of the Padres bullpen, as he's done a fine job and been very valuable. He's pitche to a 3.48 ERA, whcih is almost identical to last year's number, but he's only been able to go for 31 innings due to his fits-and-starts season.
Morgan struggled during most of his season in San Diego, as he appeared in 18 games with an ERA of 4.50, which was a disappointment after his outstanding 2025 season when he pitched to an ERA of 2.66. Morgan will slot back into line with the Padres other second-tier relievers as he gets another chance to prove himself.
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Morgan has also had a tough time at Triple-A. He's being recalled despite having an ERA of 5.68 with an 0-4 record. Baserunners have been the big problem, as Morgan has a WHIP of 1.74. and he's walked 13 hitters in just 22 innings in his previous stint in San Diego.
The good news for the Padres is that they could have multiple starters returning soon, with Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta both on the end. Reinforcements are on the way, but it's not going to be the mix we're used to with the Padres.
