San Diego Padres: Lucchesi Back, Franchy Shut Down

There was some big news coming out of the San Diego Padres’ clubhouse this afternoon. One familiar face is back, and one is being shut down pending tests.

The San Diego Padres welcomed rookie left-hander Joey Lucchesi back into the fold today. AJ Cassavell of MLB.com tweeted out the news this afternoon that Joey Fuego would be activated. A corresponding move has not been announced yet.

Unfortunately for the group of relievers who have been starting the weekly “bullpen game”, the non-roster corresponding move that will come along with Lucchesi’s return will be the demise of the guy we’ve all come to know and love, Johnny Wholestaff.

Matt Strahm has been the leader of that Voltron-ish concoction, owning a 0.90 earned-run average in four starts (ten total innings) with a 0.60 WHIP and a .143 batting average against. As Kevin Acee noted earlier this week, it will only be a matter of time before Strahm gets his chance to start again.

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Franchy’s rehab stint halted

Again from Cassavell, the Padres have shut down their intriguing young outfielder, Franchy Cordero, after he experienced a flare-up of sorts in the same elbow that landed him on the disabled list on May 28 with tendinitis.

He was attempting to make his way back to the Friars within the originally planned timeframe of mid-June.

With this current setback and the chance that this could be even more serious than (some) had anticipated, the Padres may need to start thinking about life in 2018 without Cordero.

Hopefully, we’ll see him again before the end of the season, but at this point, especially when the elbow is involved, you really never can tell.

The team should be able to get by in his absence. Wil Myers is expected to return to game action soon, and the combination of Franmil Reyes, Hunter Renfroe, and Travis Jankowski have held down the fort in satisfactory fashion so far.

Next: Padres Welcome the A's into Petco for Two

We’ll keep you posted as more information becomes available regarding Lucchesi, Cordero, or Wholestaff.