San Diego Padres: Options For Replacing RHP Luis Perdomo

After last night’s implosion by Luis Perdomo, it appears as if the young pitcher is headed for AAA El Paso. Who will the San Diego Padres use if that’s the case?

Major changes are coming to San Diego. Manager Andy Green and company face the return of Wil Myers and Manuel Margot from the disabled list, and after last night, a decision on what to do with RHP Luis Perdomo.

It’s been well documented from Padres’ beat writers that Andy Green has Perdomo on an extremely short leash. Last night, Perdomo, the former Rule-5 pick from the St. Louis Cardinals, struggled immensely against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Perdomo lasted only three innings, giving up 10 hits, nine runs (seven earned), and two walks while striking out four.

On the season, Perdomo has started four games, averaging only 3.5 innings per start. While his strikeout rate is strong (10.93 K/99, 22%) and his walk rate is two walks/nine innings better than Bryan Mitchell (still almost 6 BB/9), opposing batters are hitting .388 and he’s giving up more than eight runs per game.

His ERA may sit at 8.36, but Perdomo’s FIP is just 3.75. His groundball rate is down, only 43% after last night’s start. Hitters are making hard, line-drive contact off of him. Last night against the Dodgers, the average exit velocity of contact against Perdomo was 85.6 MPH. His slider was hit extremely hard, nearly 88 mph on average.

Having never pitched above A-ball in the minor leagues, maybe some time in El Paso would be good for Perdomo. Maybe a switch to a bullpen role? Whichever decision the Padres made, its obvious something has to change.

The San Diego Padres have plenty of replacements for Luis Perdomo.

LHP Eric Lauer is scheduled to make his next start for the AAA El Paso Chihuahuas tomorrow, we’ll see if that happens. He may be the next prospect to join Joey Lucchesi in the starting rotation this weekend.

In three starts for El Paso, Lauer has given up just 11 hits, six earned runs, and six walks over 18 innings. That translates to a 3.00 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and a .172 opponent’s batting average, combined with 19 strikeouts.

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Lauer is another prospect, like Lucchesi, who projects as a back-end of the rotation starter and a pitcher who may be better than anyone else on the current Padres’ staff. He doesn’t own over-powering stuff, but he commands his four-pitch mix very well.

How has Joey Luchessi been so successful early on? Deception, placement, and owning his off-speed, breaking pitches. Lauer is capable of doing much of the same, should he get a chance to showcase those abilities.

Stay tuned to see if Lauer gets scratched from his start this Friday for El Paso, if so, he may be starting at Colorado next week.

As we highlighted the other day, RHP Cal Quantrill has been pitching very well for Double-A San Antonio. He is another option for Andy Green, however, he’s still trying to command his secondary pitches. Quantrill has shown great progress and was considered by some to be the first of the pitching prospects deserving of a major league start.

Next: Final Thoughts From Dodgers' Series

If you haven’t already, buckle up Friar faithful. This pitching staff is ready to take you on a wild ride.