The Padres’ bullpen has been taking hits all season, and Jason Adam’s absence is now shaping up to last longer than the club first hoped.
Adam, a veteran right-hander dealing with a right shoulder strain, was initially projected to miss a little more than a month. That outlook has since changed. Padres insider Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the timeline has been pushed back, with Adam still waiting for his subscapularis muscle to heal before he can even start a throwing program.
"Jason Adam (right shoulder strain) was with the Padres in Kansas City, where he makes his offseason home. He will spend the next week at the team’s complex in Arizona," Acee wrote.
"The Padres are still waiting for his subscapularis muscle to heal sufficiently before he begins a throwing program. An optimistic timeline when he went on the injured list July 2 was a mid-August return.
That has been pushed back."
That’s a tough break for a relief corps that has already been stretched thin. Adam has been one of the most dependable arms in the group, posting a 2.51 ERA across 36 appearances and handling important late-game innings for San Diego.
His season had already gotten off to a delayed start after he recovered from surgery for a ruptured quadriceps tendon suffered last year, and this latest injury now threatens to keep him out deep into the stretch run. The earliest realistic return looks like the end of August, with September seeming more likely.
“I hate to be missing time, especially at this point in the season,” Adam said at the time of the injury. “You want to be out there supporting your teammates.
Especially in pretty crucial games in the middle of the long stretch with a lot of games, you want to be there. That’s what they pay us for in the bullpen.”
The Padres are expected to take their time with him and make sure he comes back fully healthy, even if that means waiting longer than they originally planned. He should still return later this season.
There is at least some good news on the bullpen front. Right-hander Jeremiah Estrada could be back from a knee injury next week after pitching in Triple-A on Tuesday, where he walked two batters and allowed one hit.
Estrada’s return would help lighten the load on a Padres bullpen that has been working through plenty already. He has a 3.48 ERA in 21 appearances this season.
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