The Padres placed themselves right-handed Casey Mize on the 15-day injured list, according to a team announcement. Mize suffers from a sprained right ankle. Infielder/flyer Gavin Leaves was reinstated after the 10-day IL in place of Mize. The team also recalled the right-hander Griffin Canned Foods of the Arizona Complex League and optional left-handed Kyle Hart at this level. Separately, on the right Alex Jacob was granted outright waivers and assigned directly to the Complex League. Jacob was designated for assignment earlier this week and has already been removed from the roster, so these moves are neutral on 40 players.
Mize started yesterday’s contest against the Diamondbacks. He lasted four innings and was shelled for seven earned runs on as many hits, including three home runs. Mize has struggled since his start on Aug. 22, when he sprained his right ankle slipping on the dugout steps and was removed after 2 2/3 innings. Since then, in six starts, he has allowed almost eight earned runs out of nine and spit out eight home runs, or 2.70 HR/9. As Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune noted, Mize spoke about his ankle during yesterday’s postgame, suggesting it still bothered him a month after the fact.
The Padres seem to agree, as they will now be without Mize until Game 1 of the NL Championship Series, if they make it that far. San Diego has clinched a playoff spot and enters play today as the Senior Tour’s top Wild Card seed. They can lock that in with a win against the Diamondbacks tonight, which will also give them home-field advantage in the Wild Card Series. Michael King And Nick Pivetta will be their best starters in this three-game series, with Walker Bühler And Robbie Ray competing for third place.
Ray hasn’t been sharp in nine starts since arriving from the Giants at the deadline. Buehler has a 4.56 ERA this season, but has a 3.24 ERA in his last eight starts, six of which have lasted at least five innings. He probably has the advantage over Ray, so the latter will be sent to the bullpen. Mize may have provided some feather length in the short series, but instead he will be out for just over two weeks. The news ends Mize’s regular season after 131 1/3 innings with a 4.32 ERA, 20.0% strikeout rate and strong 6.9% walk rate. His recent struggles aside, he’s a solid mid-rotation starter and will likely get a multi-year deal in free agency this winter.
Canning agreed to be optioned three days ago when Jason Adam went out of IL 60 days. He would have been laid up for at least 15 days if Mize had not been injured. He has a decent strikeout rate of 22.5% and a strong ground ball rate of 46.5% in 29 appearances (11 starts), but he has struggled mightily in the run prevention department, posting a 5.57 ERA and a better, but still disappointing, SIERA. Canning has been more effective as a reliever than as a starter, but he’s still a long way from being in the postseason bullpen since his nominal entry. Randy Vasquez is also a candidate for a relief role.
Hart gets an option for a new arm in Canning after allowing three earned runs in an inning of relief yesterday. He had a decent 3.77 ERA and a well-above-average groundball rate of 50.3% through the end of August. September wasn’t as kind to Hart, as he allowed 11 earned runs in 6 2/3 frames while walking seven batters. Like Canning, Hart is likely out in October, but the ground ball and a decent 22.0% strikeout rate could make him the next man up in case of injury.
Sheets returns after missing a little less than a month with a sprained left foot. He was exactly average by wRC+, hitting .211/.313/.388 in 412 plate appearances. Sheets, who swings left, has a 114 wRC+ against right-handed pitchers this year. Ty France currently covers first base, so Sheets will likely start at DH or possibly left field against righties in the postseason.
Photo courtesy of Denis Poroy, Imagn Images
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