The Padres will have to take on the Dodgers without one of their top bullpen arms, and the timing could hardly be tougher.
Jason Adam was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder strain just before San Diego opened a four-game set at Dodger Stadium on Thursday. It’s the second time in two years since the Padres acquired him from the Tampa Bay Rays that Adam has landed on the IL. He had pitched three days earlier against the Chicago Cubs, when he gave up a run in the ninth inning of a 2-2 game at Wrigley Field.
To fill the roster spot, the Padres activated right-hander Germán Marquez from the injured list.
Adam started the season on the IL while still working back from the quad injury that ended his 2025 campaign early and required surgery. Once he returned, he quickly settled into a key role bridging the middle innings for closer Mason Miller. In April, he posted a 2.25 ERA across nine appearances.
May was even cleaner. Adam went 2-0 and didn’t allow a run in 13 April appearances.
June, though, was rougher, as he gave up 15 hits and seven runs for a 5.11 ERA in 14 games. Even with the recent wobble, he still leads the team with 17 holds.
Over 377 career appearances with the Kansas City Royals, Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs, Rays and Padres, Adam is 29-17 with a 2.67 ERA.
Marquez, meanwhile, is back after missing time with nerve inflammation in his right forearm. He had a 5.76 ERA in six starts after beginning the year in the Padres’ Opening Day rotation, and he’s been sidelined since May 3.
San Diego signed Marquez in February after years of facing him while he pitched for the Colorado Rockies from 2016-25. Across 11 MLB seasons, he is 71-74 with a 4.70 ERA.
The Padres are slated to send Randy Vaquez to the mound against Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki in the opener. The standings only sharpen the pressure: the second-place Padres enter at 43-42, 12 games behind the first-place Dodgers at 56-31.
With Adam out, Padres manager Craig Stammen’s bullpen options against Los Angeles are limited to Marquez, Mason Miller, Bradgley Rodriguez and Ron Marinaccio. Marquez has not worked out of the bullpen since making three relief appearances as a rookie for the Rockies in 2016.
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