Urias scratched, Allen struck by liner vs. Sox

March 5th, 2019

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Two top Padres prospects had injury scares Tuesday afternoon, though the club remains hopeful that infielder and left-hander Logan Allen won't be affected in the long term.

Urias -- the team's No. 3 prospect and MLB Pipeline's No. 23 overall -- was a late scratch from the team's split-squad game against the White Sox in Glendale because of what the Padres called "general fatigue" in both hamstrings. Shortly thereafter, Allen (No. 8 and No. 74, respectively) was struck in the left thigh by an Eloy Jimenez line drive. Allen remained in the game for one batter, a walk, before he was removed.

The Padres called both moves "precautionary," but on the surface, Urias' ailment seems more concerning. Allen, after all, managed to stay in the game, and he walked off under his own power without any noticeable limp.

“He got squared up pretty good,” manager Andy Green said after the Padres' 7-4 split-squad victory over the White Sox in Glendale. “We felt it was the best thing to do to take him out.”

Urias has dealt with hamstring trouble in the past. Last September, he pulled his left hamstring, and it cost him the final three weeks of his debut season. Urias was then slated to play some winter ball, but he had a setback in his recovery and was shut down.

Without winter ball, Urias had ample time to mend, and he entered camp healthy and with full clearance for baseball activities. He was riding a hot streak into Tuesday's contest -- 6-for-11 with a homer in his last four games.

“We are just being precautionary right now, making sure he's in a good spot going forward,” Green said. “He was never planned to play tomorrow so we won't have him play tomorrow. Just go through a workout, see where he's at and hopefully get him out there the next day.”

Urias is the Padres' presumed starter at shortstop this season, at least until top prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. arrives. When that happens, Urias is expected to shift to second base where he'll battle for playing time with veteran Ian Kinsler. In the long term, however, the club believes Urias to be its second baseman of the future.

As for Allen, he has an outside shot at one of three places available in the Padres' rotation. The 21-year-old left-hander has not allowed a run in 3 2/3 spring innings (including Tuesday). He posted a 2.54 ERA in 25 games between Double-A and Triple-A last season.