The Padres are set to get a major bullpen boost Wednesday against the Dodgers, with All-Star reliever Jason Adam returning from the injured list and Griffin Canning heading to Triple-A to clear a spot.
Manager Craig Stammen said Adam will be activated off the 60-day IL, bringing back one of the key arms from a San Diego relief group that already ranks among the club’s strengths. The team still needs to announce a corresponding 40-man roster move.
Adam’s return comes after a rough rehab stretch with Triple-A El Paso. He opened with a scoreless inning on Sept. 13, then was knocked around in back-to-back outings on Sept.
16-17. Over those two appearances, he recorded just one out and gave up nine runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out one.
Even with those results, Stammen downplayed the numbers from the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
“It’s always tough to evaluate when pitchers are pitching in El Paso, especially Jason coming off the injured list and trying to find his stuff and recalibrate everything,” Stammen said last week. “You take it with a grain of salt. But he’s feeling really good physically, and I expect him to be back with the big club at some point.”
Adam also got in a live batting practice session this week and traveled with the team to Los Angeles. On Tuesday, he sounded ready to go.
“Yeah, more than ready,” Adam said on Tuesday. “Yeah, I feel 100% ready.
Could pitch tonight, but I don’t know what their plans are. So we’ll see.”
He didn’t return Tuesday, but he’s back in the mix now and should factor into the Padres’ plans quickly.
“You can’t take any days in the big leagues for granted, especially playoff games,” Adam said. “You never know when your next chance might be.
So you want to be a part of that. That’s why we play 162 games is for the chance at the playoffs and to win a World Series.
So I want to be a part of that, obviously, as much as possible.”
Adam has made 36 appearances this season, posting a 2.51 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 32.1 innings. Last year, he put together a 1.93 ERA and 70 strikeouts over 65.1 innings.
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