Everth Cabrera on Rehab Assignment; Could Return This Week

Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera, on the 15-day DL with a right hamstring strain, was 0-for-2 with a walk and a steal in his first rehab appearance Monday with High-A Lake Elsinore.

Since he’s only been out a couple of weeks, Cabrera is considered to need only a short rehab assignment before coming back to San Diego, likely sending current utilityman Lance Zawadzki back to Triple-A, where he was struggling before his callup.

Cabrera was hitting just .209/.274/.284 before hitting the DL, so we shouldn’t expect miracles upon his return. Hopefully, he’ll round into 2009 (.255/.342/.361) form soon.

The 23-year-old will compete for shortstop time with Jerry Hairston, who hasn’t been hitting well either, upon his return. He’s likely to get the bulk of the starts against right-handed pitching at the very least.