Cronenworth (concussion) begins rehab stint with a big fly

SAN DIEGO -- Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth began a rehab stint with Triple-A El Paso on Friday -- and started it in the best fashion imaginable: with a home run in his first at-bat.

Cronenworth is working his way back from a concussion he sustained when he was hit by a pitch in late April. He had spent the past week at the team’s complex in Peoria, Ariz., where he faced live pitching for the first time.

Manager Craig Stammen offered no set timetable for Cronenworth’s return, but noted he’ll need some semblance of a buildup after nearly two months away.

“He’s going to give us an indication of, ‘Yeah, I feel ready; yeah my timing is back,’” Stammen said. “That kind of stuff. It’s almost like a Spring Training.”

What to expect
It’s hard to say. The Padres will give Cronenworth time to find his timing at the plate. He’d struggled during the first month of the season, hitting .144 with a .468 OPS when he landed on the IL in early May.

Then again, it’s clear that Cronenworth was playing through some effects of the concussion without initially realizing it. He was hit by a pitch on April 18 and cleared initial protocols. It wasn’t until a couple weeks later that Cronenworth reported symptoms and was placed on the IL. In that span he went just 4-for-31.

Rather than that version, the Padres will hope to get the two-time All-Star version of Cronenworth when he returns. (And Friday’s homer is certainly an encouraging sign on that front.)

“We’ve been missing a little bit of that left-handed bat in our lineup, that gives that professional at-bat, works the pitcher,” Stammen said. “He has the opportunity for some slug, plays great defense. He just does all the little things on the field that you kind of miss. … And we’ve missed him this entire time. It’ll be awesome to have him back.”

When, exactly? That’s TBD. But Friday marked a significant step toward that return.

What it means
Stammen isn’t wrong when he says the Padres have missed Cronenworth’s left-handed bat.

To some extent, Will Wagner has provided that option since his callup a couple weeks ago. But even still, there’s a lack of left-handed options in the San Diego lineup. There’s no reason both Wagner and Cronenworth couldn’t coexist on the roster, with Wagner serving as a bench piece.

When Cronenworth returns, he’ll almost certainly start everyday against right-handed pitching. But the Padres will have an interesting decision to make against lefties. Fernando Tatis Jr. has been a perfectly adequate second baseman. (Better than that, even.)

Would the Padres platoon Cronenworth with a righty-hitting outfielder, then move Tatis to second on those days? That’ll be contingent on how much Cronenworth hits.

And it’s extremely important that Cronenworth hits. Because right now, the Padres envision him as their primary second baseman with Tatis in right. If that’s the case, the team’s search for a bat at the Deadline can be confined to a DH/bench type bopper. But if Cronenworth struggles, the Padres might have to reassess their options at second and/or in right.

In the meantime…
Wagner and Sung-Mun Song are options at second base. As is Tatis.

But the Padres would clearly prefer to have Tatis as their starting right fielder -- where he’s one of the most valuable defenders in baseball. And they’d also prefer to have Song and/or Wagner coming off their bench.

Cronenworth is also the best backup shortstop option on the roster, and the Padres have ridden Xander Bogaerts pretty hard lately. He’d probably benefit from a few more regular days off.

The Padres will obviously give Cronenworth all the time he needs. But make no mistake, they need him back.