SAN FRANCISCO -- Francisco Mejía began his rookie season slowly, then broke out when given regular playing time in late June. Suddenly, the remainder of his roller-coaster 2019 campaign is in jeopardy.

The Padres catcher landed on the 10-day injured list Friday with a strained right oblique. With four weeks remaining in the season, it's worth wondering whether Mejia will be able to return.

"The hope is it's 10 days," said Padres manager Andy Green. "You just never know with an oblique. Until he puts a bat in his hands and takes another swing, we really don't have a timeline."

Mejia sustained the injury on a swing during the 10th inning of Wednesday’s 6-4 loss to the Dodgers. He doubled on the pitch and remained in the game to catch the bottom half of the frame.

But he was clearly favoring his side. (Dodgers infielder Enrique Hernandez noticed and swiped an important base.) Two days later, the injury wasn’t healing fast enough, so the Padres opted to rest Mejia for at least eight more days.

“It could get worse if I kept playing on it, so it was in our best interest to rest for a little bit,” Mejia said through a team interpreter. “I think I could potentially even be ready before then.”

In 70 games this season, Mejia is hitting .263/.315/.439 with eight home runs. The club has been impressed with his development behind the plate, too, though he's certainly not a finished product.

If Mejia continues his development as a catcher, the Padres are optimistic he’s part of the long-term solution there. He might even play some left field, too, as a way to get his bat in the lineup when he isn’t behind the plate.

Early in the season, Mejia served in a backup capacity behind Austin Hedges, a far superior defender. Following a May knee injury, Mejia was optioned to Triple-A. But with Hedges’ bat lagging, the Padres recalled Mejia on June 17 and made him the starter in what was essentially a 60/40 split. He has batted .298/.354/.503 since then.

With Mejia on the IL, the Padres recalled Austin Allen from Triple-A El Paso. Hedges figures to receive the bulk of the playing time, but Allen will get an occasional start behind the plate.

A bat-first catcher, Allen was hitting .330/.379/.663 for El Paso this season. He joined the club a week ago as a pinch-hit bat, but was optioned on Wednesday with the team in need of bullpen help.

Green hinted that Allen might catch Sunday’s series finale in San Francisco. If Allen wants to establish himself as a viable option behind the plate – and not merely a pinch-hitter – the next month seems pivotal. The Padres are 0-10 in games Allen has caught this season.

“How much opportunity he gets depends on how we play when he's back there,” Green said. “He's done some really great things at Triple-A. He's worked incredibly hard behind the plate, swung the bat really well. For a little bit of time here, there's a window of opportunity to get on the field and play. We'll see what he makes of it.”

Noteworthy

• Garrett Richards wasn’t particularly sharp Thursday night in a rehab start for Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore. He threw 53 pitches – only 25 for strikes – and allowed four runs over 1 2/3 innings. Richards only allowed one hit, but he walked four and hit a batter.

The Padres remain optimistic that the veteran right-hander could take the mound for them before the end of the season. He’s working his way back from July 2018 Tommy John surgery. For his next rehab outing, Richards’ likeliest destination is Double-A Amarillo for Game 1 of the Texas League playoffs on Wednesday.

• Infielder Ty France was named MVP of the Pacific Coast League on Friday, making him the second Padre in four years to win that honor. Hunter Renfroe took home the 2016 award.

In 76 games for Triple-A El Paso, France batted .399/.477/.770 with 27 homers. That success has yet to translate to the big leagues, where France was hitting just .220 entering play Friday night. Still, he should see somewhat regular playing time at second base over the season’s final month.

• Expect the Padres to add a relief pitcher or two when rosters expand Sunday.

“We need to fortify the bullpen a little bit, with as much as they’ve been taxed,” Green said. “They’ve pitched well recently, but we just need more arms down there right now.”

Gerardo Reyes is currently on the 40-man roster, and he’s a strong favorite to join the mix. Fellow righties Trey Wingenter and Eric Yardley, who are also on the 40-man roster, are expected to be promoted in September as well. But they were recently optioned and must remain in the Minors for at least 10 days.