San Diego Padres: Sanchez goes down, but Padres fortunate

The San Diego Padres are dealing with three injured players at the moment, but have been fairly lucky thus far not to have lost any key piece of the roster for an extended period of time.

San Diego Padres backup catcher Hector Sanchez was struck with a foul ball during the top of the sixth inning of Friday night’s series opener with the Los Angeles Dodgers, his third similar incident in three days.

As a result of this injury, Sanchez had to be removed from the game and replaced by the starter who was getting the night off, rookie Austin Hedges. There is a chance that Sanchez returns to the lineup within the next couple of days, but it is also quite possible that he will need to spend time on the disabled list.

The injury is unfortunate, no doubt, but it reminds fans just how lucky the club has been so far to have not experienced any major injuries to their core players. While there have been a flurry of injuries lately, only Alex Dickerson and Robbie Erlin are long term, and others are making strides.

Jarred Cosart is already making rehab appearances for AAA El Paso, and Carter Capps is physically ready to return, according to manager Andy Green.

Outfielder Travis Jankowski is expected to return any day now after bruising his foot on April 24th. Buddy Baumann and Christian Friedrich are the only others ailing, and should both return within the next two weeks.

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Though it seems like a long list of disabled Padres, the club is fortunate to be getting healthy at an ideal time. They also should count their blessings knowing that Wil Myers, Hunter Renfroe, and Yangervis Solarte have yet to go down.

It’s a long season, and injuries are an inevitable part of the game. Every team will experience them in their lineup, their rotation, and their bullpen. Sometimes, staying healthy can be a key to an entire season, while excessive injuries or poorly timed injuries can derail a team’s hopes entirely.

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Although the Padres have struggled to find consistency this season, they do certainly have one thing going for them so far. The club is about as healthy as they could ask for despite their several injuries. The team is healing at the right time, and can only hope that their fortune continues and translates to the club’s play on the field.