Padres News: Tommy Pham back, Tatis and Wingenter out

The Padres left fielder has reportedly tested negative twice and can rejoin the roster.

Despite being asymptomatic, Tommy Pham missed the start of the Padres‘ Summer Camp, testing positive for coronavirus a little over a week ago. MLB has no strict timeline on how long players need to quarantine, just as long as they test negative twice. Pham, 32, has had a tough time getting underway in a Padres uniform.

In spring training, he was still recovering from a partially torn UCL, as was primarily playing DH. Had the league not shut down, Pham was set to test his arm in the outfield. And the former Cardinals’ farmhand knows how important it is for him to get these reps in:

“Time is very valuable,” Pham said, via the San Diego Union-Tribune. “Right now, the season is two weeks away. I really need those live at-bats. The good news is before MLB struck a deal to play, I was already training six days a week here at the park…I was running, lifting, hitting every day with corona, and I didn’t know.”

Let’s hope Pham is all clear of any injuries or illnesses and can be the on-base machine the Padres hope he can be.

In other news, Fernando Tatis Jr. has been held out of workouts and intrasquad workouts due to headaches. If you recall, Tatis missed a significant portion of spring training with the flu – as did Cal Quantrill – and it makes you wonder if they had coronavirus.

Adding insult to injury, no pun intended, the Padres will be without reliever Trey Wingenter for a bit, as he is reportedly experiencing irritation in his right elbow.

Yesterday, the Padres lost Jose Castillo for at least six weeks, so while the bullpen is still considered deep, all these nagging injuries as starting to pile up.