SAN DIEGO -- The Padres made a series of roster moves with major implications for their postseason roster ahead of Saturday’s game against the Diamondbacks:
• RHP Casey Mize landed on the 15-day IL with a right ankle sprain
• INF/OF/DH Gavin Sheets was reinstated from the IL after missing a month with a left foot sprain
• LHP Kyle Hart was optioned to the Arizona Complex League
• RHP Griffin Canning was recalled from the ACL
Here’s what it all means:
Mize, Hart no longer eligible for Wild Card Series
Mize was a longshot for the playoff roster anyway. His time in San Diego has been a disappointment. After arriving in a Trade Deadline deal, Mize has made 10 starts with the Padres and notched a 7.36 ERA.
Mize was hit hard on Friday night, and certainly wouldn’t have factored into the Wild Card Series rotation. But his placement on the 15-day IL means Mize wouldn’t be available for a potential NL Division Series roster either.
Mize initially sustained the ankle injury slipping on the dugout steps during a start in August. Manager Craig Stammen indicated that injury has been bothering Mize more than he’s let on.
“Just so frustrating to deal with, you know, the ankle injury,” Mize said after his start on Friday. “It's just not allowing me to move my lower half like I want. I guess I haven't put anything behind the ball and to finish pitches and to execute. It's certainly been frustrating.”
As for Hart, there’s still a path to the playoff roster for him, but only as a potential injury replacement if one were to arise. Hart has been mostly solid this season, with a 4.92 ERA in 46 games, but the Padres’ bullpen is deep, and they have plenty of other options.
Pitching plans taking shape?
Saturday’s moves give the Padres 15 position players and 13 pitchers on their roster. They’ll need to trim that roster by two on Tuesday morning.
From there, the Padres need to decide how many pitchers they’ll carry on their playoff roster. Given that they’ll only need three starters, it seems unlikely they’d carry 13, which could leave Canning off the roster -- particularly if he starts Sunday’s game.
Meanwhile, the decision to option Hart clarifies a few things in the bullpen. The Padres seemed to be deciding among David Morgan, Wandy Peralta and Hart for the final two spots. Peralta would seem to have one of them as the bullpen’s third left-hander, behind Adrian Morejon and Yuki Matsui.
Morgan has been excellent lately, with a 0.96 ERA across 9 1/3 innings in September, and seems to have earned his place on the playoff roster. Unless, of course, the Padres opt to carry 11 pitchers instead.
Healthy Sheets gives the Padres another lefty weapon
Sheets has been dealing with a plantar plate tear for much of the second half, and after aggravating it in Tampa Bay last month, he landed on the IL.
It’s possible that the injury will require surgery in the offseason. But with enough rest, the Padres were hopeful that Sheets would heal enough to be available as a DH/pinch-hitting option for the postseason.
If he’s back to his usual self, that’s a big deal. Sheets mashes right-handed pitching. He posted a .754 OPS against righties through June, before the injury started to affect him at the plate.
Sheets, who spent plenty of time at first base and in left field, won’t be used as a defender. He’s now viewed exclusively as a bat, potentially a very useful one. The Padres have been platooning at DH, catcher and left field, and Sheets gives them an option to start at DH against righties and to pinch-hit in big spots otherwise.
If Sheets proves he’s healthy -- which he appears to have done -- he’ll be on the playoff roster. That leaves the Padres with a couple of interesting decisions. Sung-Mun Song is likely to be left off, bringing the group of position players to 14.
From there, the question is whether Miguel Andujar would be activated. And if so, who gives way on the roster?