SAN DIEGO -- The Padres are being cautious with Hector Sanchez, and understandably so. The veteran catcher was hit in the mask with a foul ball Thursday and likely sustained a concussion, which would be his seventh.
Sanchez is currently going through tests and won't return to baseball activity until he clears concussion protocol.
"We hate that [Sanchez has another head injury]," said Padres manager Andy Green. "Obviously, with what's known in football right now, to have a catcher have to go through that so many times, you want to be cautious. But you also want to listen to the doctors. If they say he's good, he's good, [and] we'll let him continue to play. If the doctors or medical people give us other advice or another direction, we're going to heed that.
"There's not a push from me on my end to say, 'Hey, we've got to get this guy back now.' However long it takes, it takes. If it takes a week, it takes a week, if it takes three months, it takes three months. There's not a rush."
Sanchez missed time with two concussions in 2014, while he played with the Giants. He also missed time earlier this spring after fouling a ball off his foot.
"For some reason I take a lot of hits," Sanchez said Friday. "I don't know why. I've been asking myself that for a lot of years. The scariest thing are the hits to the head."
With Christian Bethancourt and Luis Torrens backing up Austin Hedges, the Padres have plenty of catching depth. Sanchez opened the season 0-for-5 and figured to be an important switch-hitting bat on the bench.
Coleman honored
The Padres unveiled a tribute to legendary broadcaster Jerry Coleman in the media dining room Sunday.
A large display case features items from Coleman's time as a player, broadcaster and Marine Corps pilot. The memorabilia was donated by Coleman's wife, Maggie, and the tribute was curated by director of broadcasting and project management Erik Meyer. Coleman passed away in 2014.
Friedrich headed to Peoria
Following Sunday's game, left-hander Christian Friedrich is headed to the team's Spring Training complex in Peoria, Ariz., where he will begin his rehab from a strained left lat muscle and a sore elbow.
Friedrich had two MRIs in the past month -- one on his shoulder and one on his elbow. Both revealed no structural damage. He'll begin throwing at some point this week.
"Hopefully he starts moving quickly toward pitching," said Green. "At this point in time, I don't have a specific timetable for when he's going to return. Obviously we got good news with the MRI on him. He should be moving, but that's going to be dictated by how he feels."