Ross may have to adjust swing upon return from DL

SAN DIEGO -- Tyson Ross' first Major League hit resulted in major league pain, as the Padres pitcher felt more than a twinge of pain in his left (non-throwing) shoulder on the follow-through of his swing during an April 17 game against the Dodgers.

Ross ended up on the disabled list with an impingement of his shoulder after hitting a single off Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw.

Ross threw a bullpen session consisting of 30 pitches on Wednesday. Of course, there's nothing wrong with his right arm or shoulder. But he's not to the point where his left shoulder feels good enough to return.

"It was just nice to get on the mound again after missing a week," Ross said Friday. "Right now, I'm just working with the training staff to strengthen [the shoulder]."

Ross will continue to keep his arm in shape until he reaches the point where he can take batting practice and test the left shoulder. He's even talked with hitting coach Phil Plantier about his swing.

"The big test will come when I'm able to swing a bat," Ross said. "I've already talked to [Plantier] about it and about cutting down on my swing. We've got to get to a point where we feel good with it."

Ross, who was 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA in his first three starts, has been replaced by Friday's starter, Andrew Cashner, in the rotation. Cashner makes his second start at Petco Park against the Giants.