France's jaw swollen, sore after hit by pitch

MESA, Ariz. -- Corner infielder Ty France exited the Padres’ 6-5 loss to Oakland after a scary moment in which he was struck in the helmet by a Paul Blackburn pitch.

After spending about a minute facedown in the batters' box during the fifth inning, France walked off under his own power. He passed initial concussion protocol in Mesa, but the Padres sent him back to Peoria immediately for further evaluation.

The pitch struck France, a right-handed hitter, in the left-ear flap that he wears for added protection. The ball ricocheted and hit France in the jaw. After the game, manager Andy Green indicated that France's jaw was sore and swollen, but that he was fully alert and responsive.

"Any time a guy gets hit up there, it's scary," Green said. "It was tough, too, because he's not one to stay down for long. He's, obviously, been hit a lot. But it was scary there for a moment."

France is no stranger to hit by pitches. He's San Diego State's all-time leader, and he was plunked 27 times between Double-A and Triple-A last season. He attributes those totals to the location of his hands when he loads -- close to the inside corner of the plate. Friday's HBP was a different case entirely.

France entered camp as the favorite to start the season for the Padres at third base. That went out the window with the arrival of Manny Machado. Still, France has been impressive this spring, with a .300/.391/.700 slash line and two home runs in 10 games.

Tatis sidelined temporarily

There's at least one thing capable of halting Fernando Tatis Jr. this spring: His own wisdom teeth.

Tatis, MLB Pipeline's No. 2 overall prospect, wasn't in camp on Friday after he had his wisdom teeth removed. He's hitting .318/.400/.727 this spring, but he's expected to be out of action for a few days.

Covering the bases

First: Right-hander Brett Kennedy was scheduled to pitch in a backfield game Friday at the Peoria Sports Complex, but he has been shelved instead with what Green called "general overall arm fatigue." Kennedy is still being evaluated, but at this point, he almost certainly won't be built up enough to break camp with the club.

Second: Scratch Luis Perdomo's name off the list of rotation candidates, as well. The Padres are looking at the 25-year-old right-hander in a one-inning capacity this spring, hoping his stuff might play up in the bullpen. Thus far, it hasn't. He allowed four runs on three hits in the eighth inning.

Third: Luis Urias got a handful of at-bats in a backfield game at the Peoria Sports Complex. The 21-year-old middle infielder is expected back in the lineup Sunday, after he was a late scratch Tuesday due to minor hamstring trouble.

Home: The Padres optioned prospects Anderson Espinoza, Edward Olivares and Jesse Scholtens to Minor League camp on Friday, a trio of moves that were mostly expected. Espinoza, the team's No. 13 prospect, hasn't yet faced hitters this spring as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery. But he has thrown a handful of bullpen sessions, and the Padres wanted to give him a taste of big league camp.

Up next

The Padres will send a pair of lefties to the mound against the Reds at 5:40 p.m. PT on Saturday. Joey Lucchesi will get the start, with Matt Strahm also scheduled to pitch. They both threw three innings in their most recent appearances.