Padres awaiting news on Morrow's shoulder

Bill Center, longtime sportswriter for U-T San Diego, is an employee of the Padres.

There was good news on two injury rehab fronts Sunday.

• Wil Myers opened his rehab assignment with Triple-A El Paso, going 2-for-5 with a run scored. Myers, who has been on the disabled list since May 11 with tendinitis in his left wrist, started the game in center field. He is expected to remain with the Chihuahuas through Tuesday.

• Center fielder Melvin Upton Jr. was activated from the disabled list after playing 13 rehab games with the Chihuahuas. Upton hit .280 with El Paso (14-for-50), with two doubles, a homer, six RBIs and four stolen bases. He had been on the disabled list since the Padres acquired him from Atlanta on the eve of the season opener.

To make room for Upton Jr. on the 25-man roster, San Diego optioned switch-hitter Abraham Almonte, who was hitting .186 with two doubles and four RBIs, back to El Paso.

• Meanwhile, the Padres are awaiting further word on right-handed starting pitcher Brandon Morrow, who came out of his second rehab start with Double-A San Antonio sooner than expected on Sunday, complaining of discomfort in his shoulder.

Plans to activate Morrow on Friday night for the opener of a three-game series against the Dodgers at Petco Park are on hold.

Morrow, who has been on the disabled list since May 3 with right shoulder inflammation, allowed three runs on eight hits and a walk with three strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings on Sunday. He threw 49 pitches with 32 strikes. Morrow allowed two hits over four shutout innings in his first rehab start with the Missions.

From the scorecard

• Third baseman Will Middlebrooks extended his hitting streak to seven games Sunday, going 1-for-4. Middlebrooks has had exactly one hit in each game of the streak, going 7-for-24 (.292) with two homers and eight RBIs. It is his second-longest hitting streak of the season. Middlebrooks was 9-for-32 during an eight-game streak from April 14-22.

• Right-hander Odrisamer Despaigne allowed four runs on a pair of Jay Bruce homers in six innings Sunday in Cincinnati. The outing followed three excellent starts during which Despaigne allowed three runs on 18 hits and three walks over 20 innings. He is now 1-2 on the road this season with a 5.25 ERA in five games (four starts). Despaigne is 2-2 at home with a 4.31 ERA in seven games (four starts).

• Right-handed reliever Shawn Kelley allowed one hit with three strikeouts over two scoreless innings Sunday to run his scoreless appearance streak to eight games since May 17. During the streak, he has not allowed a run in 9 1/3 innings, surrendering only three hits and no walks with 14 strikeouts. Kelley's ERA has dropped from 9.35 to 4.50.

• Right fielder Matt Kemp is 7-for-16 during a four-game hitting streak, with two doubles, a homer and five RBIs.