4 pitching options to replace Padres’ Dylan Cease if he misses his next start

After taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning, Dylan Cease was pulled from his start on Wednesday night against the New York Yankees with what was ultimately diagnosed as a cramp.

While Cease said after the game that he intends to make his next start, it is possible the team could decide to go the cautious route and give him a bit of extra rest before he next takes the hill. In his absence, let's take a look at five options the Padres could take to cover Cease's next turn in the rotation.

Recall Kyle Hart

The easiest option that comes to mind would be to recall starter Kyle Hart. Hart struggled in his five starts with San Diego, pitching to a 6.00 ERA and a 2-2 record in 21 innings pitched. However, in his first start with Triple-A El Paso, he looked more comfortable, allowing just one earned run in four and two-thirds of an inning. The Padres would not be asking Hart to rejoin the rotation, just to make one or two spot starts to cover for Cease.

Recall Omar Cruz

Omar Cruz has spent a long time in the Padres' minor league system. He was signed as a free agent out of Mexico in 2017 at the age of 18. Now at 26, he has been spinning it well for El Paso. He has a 1.98 ERA in six appearances and has now made three starts. The Padres' No. 20 could be due for a return to San Diego.

Call up Austin Krob

Krob (Padres' No. 30 per MLB Pipeline) is the lowest ranked of the three starting pitching prospects in El Paso, but he has been arguably the most consistent so far this year. Krob has made six starts, pitching to a 5.09 ERA through 23 innings. The 25-year old has struggled with walks, allowing 19, but has only been taken deep once this season.

Bullpen game

If Cease needs only an extra day or two of rest, the Padres could also choose to go with a bullpen game instead of making a transaction and calling up a prospect to make their debut in a spot start. The Padres' bullpen has been among the best in baseball this year, and would likely be able to cover a full nine innings, as long as they are only asked to it once.