SAN FRANCISCO -- Padres right-hander Jordan Lyles was placed on the 10-day disabled list Sunday and is headed to San Diego to have his ailing right elbow evaluated by team doctors.
Lyles was scratched from his start on Saturday afternoon with right forearm tightness, prompting an unplanned bullpen day. Immediately before the top of the first inning, pitching coach Darren Balsley noticed Lyles awkwardly stretching his forearm after his pregame bullpen session. Balsley and manager Andy Green inquired, and the Padres decided not to take any chances.
A day later, the Padres seemed optimistic that their prudence might end up paying dividends.
"A 10-day break will do him well," said Green. "He'll rest the elbow and then hopefully come back ready to start in 10 days."
The Padres have an off-day Thursday after their three-game series in Texas, which begins Monday. They have another day off the following Monday after three games at home against Pittsburgh. As a result, they wouldn't need to call up a fifth starter to take Lyles' place.
It's also possible the Padres use a scheduled bullpen day, as they've done four times already this season. But those are details that can be worked out later. For now, Lyles' health is the primary concern.
"No pop, no tear, no pain, just discomfort," Lyles said following Saturday's game. "And not even discomfort -- just my brain telling me there's something there I'd never felt."
Lyles transitioned from the bullpen to the rotation in early May. He's been somewhat inconsistent since then, having posted a 4.79 ERA. But he's shown flashes of being very good. He carried a perfect game into the eighth against the Rockies in mid-May. He worked seven innings of one-run ball in Atlanta in his last start.
"We're hoping, literally, it's one of those 10-day things like we've run into with [Luis] Perdomo's shoulder injury in the past," Green said. "He got really anxious about that. But he had never had any shoulder history, and he was back very quickly. In Lyles' case, he's never had any arm issues, whatsoever, in his entire career. He doesn't know how to gauge it off past experience. We're very, very hopeful it's nothing very serious."
Hedges activated
Six weeks ago, a dejected Austin Hedges stood at his AT&T Park locker, having felt soreness in his elbow that resulted in tendinitis. It took longer than he expected to get back, but he was notably more cheerful on Sunday morning.
"It feels great, it's been too long," said Hedges, who was activated prior to Sunday's series finale, as expected. "Obviously this has lingered a little longer than we anticipated, but I'm just glad to be back."
Hedges' first rehab stint was shut down in May when his elbow soreness re-emerged. That soreness has subsided entirely, Hedges said, and he was hitting .385/.422/.718 in his rehab games with Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore and Triple-A El Paso.
That's a positive sign for the 25-year-old backstop, who was hitting just .173/.235/.293 in 24 games this season.
"Any time you have some time off, it feels like a fresh start," said Hedges, who has returned to the one-handed follow through that he used during his swings prior to this season.
Fellow catcher Raffy Lopez was optioned to Triple-A El Paso, clearing room for Hedges.
Stock, Makita up
In need of bullpen reinforcements, the Padres called up arguably the hardest and softest throwers in their organization on Sunday.
Right-handers Robert Stock and Kazuhisa Makita made the short drive from Sacramento where the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas were playing a weekend series. Stock's first appearance will be his big league debut.
The 28-year-old right-hander has a fastball that routinely sits in the upper 90s. He owns a 1.95 ERA across 32 1/3 innings between Double- and Triple-A this season.
Stock was drafted by St. Louis as a catcher, and he spent his first three professional seasons as a hitter before he transitioned to the mound. He spent time in the Cardinals, Pirates and Reds systems, along with a brief stint in independent ball with the New Jersey Jackals.
"It's 10 years of pro ball in the making," Stock said. "A lot goes through your mind really quickly. It's hard to take it all in."
Makita, the submarine-style right-hander whose fastball sits around 80 mph, also returned, with righty Phil Maton optioned to Triple-A. The Lyles move paved the way for Stock's callup, and left-hander Tyler Webb was designated for assignment, giving the Padres room on the 40-man roster.
Stock gives the San Diego bullpen an element of big-time velocity that they haven't seen in a long time.
"It's just another weapon," Green said. "We've had a lot of different-look weapons, but we haven't had the high-velo righty."
Jankowski scratched late
Outfielder Travis Jankowski was a late scratch from the San Diego lineup with soreness in his left quad. Green noted that Jankowski was likely available to pinch-hit if necessary, but the Padres didn't want to take any chances.
Initially, Jankowski was penciled into the leadoff spot and scheduled to play left field. He was replaced by Matthew Szczur, who batted eighth.