Padres savagely cut ties with reliever after long stint on injured list

The San Diego Padres' latest transaction felt a bit personal. Right-handed reliever Logan Gillaspie has been on the injured list since April 27 with a left oblique strain. Making a rehab assignment these last two weeks with Triple-A El Paso, Gillaspie looked like he was nearing a return to the big leagues.

But rather than bringing him back to San Diego, the Friars designated Gillaspie for assignment on the same day he was reinstated from the injured list. Ouch.

The Padres' pitching injuries have only continued to pile up this season, and despite all of that, there didn't seem to be a spot on the roster for Gillaspie. The 28-year-old threw in just seven innings in the bigs this year, and across four MLB seasons, has never tossed more than 17 1/3 frames in a season.

The Friars did make room for starting pitcher Matt Waldron, who made his season debut on Monday against the Philadelphia Phillies. Waldron allowed four runs on six hits and six walks in 4 2/3 innings in the Padres' 4-0 loss, but the club is excited to welcome him back to the roster. The same cannot be said for Gillaspie, unfortunately.

In two seasons with San Diego, Gillaspie logged 18 1/3 frames, allowing 11 earned runs with 11 strikeouts.

As San Diego's arms become healthier, who is next to return? Ideally, it's Yu Darvish, who is expected to throw around 60 pitches with Single-A Lake Elsinore on Tuesday in a simulated game. The trade deadline is approaching, and if the Padres somehow return to full health ahead of that deadline, we might see some different moves being made by the front office.

Shedding Gillaspie signifies that the organization is confident in the rest of the injured pitchers to come back and contribute sooner rather than later.