MOREJON EXCITED ABOUT RETURN
Admittedly, Adrian Morejon is a young man who rarely shows his emotions. The way he looked as he walked off the mound in Texas in April 2021, for instance, wasn’t all that different than any other start, except for the fact it was the first inning and a Padres trainer was at his side.
Fourteen months later, the 23-year-old Morejon allowed himself a smile as he spoke to reporters at his locker Tuesday at Petco Park.
His journey back from Tommy John surgery was complete.
“We’ll see how I feel once I get back on the mound,” Morejon said through interpreter Danny Sanchez before pitching two scoreless innings Tuesday night, “but I’m definitely super excited. I’m not a guy who shows a lot of emotion, but we’ll see how I feel once I’m back on the mound.”
Again, emotionally. Physically, he’s 100 percent as he’s shown while striking out 15 against two walks while posting a 3.48 ERA in 101⁄3 innings split between low Single-A Lake Elsinore and Double-A San Antonio. The climb began with Morejon starting games with the Storm, but he moved into the bullpen with the Missions as the Padres anticipated a greater need for relief arms.
Such an occasion arose Tuesday as the Padres placed right-hander Robert Suarez on the injured list with inflammation in his
right knee.
“He didn’t feel it pitching the other day,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said of Suarez, “but he felt it afterwards — coming down the stairs of the plane, walking around. Wasn’t any better (Monday), actually got a little bit worse.”
The Padres are awaiting the results of an MRI to reveal the extent of the damage.
In the meantime, Morejon
arrives as a valuable arm that can fill a multitude of roles while the Padres wait for Suarez, Drew Pomeranz, Pierce Johnson and Austin Adams to return to their bullpen.
Morejon came in to finish off Tuesday’s 7-0 win vs. the Mets, throwing 14 of his 18 pitches for strikes and striking out one and allowing no baserunners in the eighth and ninth innings.
Morejon had been groomed as a starting pitcher since signing for $11 million out of Cuba in July 2016, a club record for an amateur signing, and even won a rotation job last spring. Morejon, however, already had been an effective lefthanded arm as a reliever, throwing three shutout innings in the wild-card round in the 2020 postseason.
Another reunion
Sean Manaea certainly had his suspicions about Oakland’s intentions for the 2022 season, but didn’t know for sure until the Athletics moved buddy Chris Bassitt to the Mets on March 11.
Yup. The fire sale was on and he was on deck.
“It kind of felt like it a little bit before (the Bassitt trade),” Manaea said. “He was the first one to go and then it really hit home that it might happen.”
Indeed, Matt Olson was traded days three days later to the Braves, Matt Chapman to the Blue Jays two days after that and Manaea was sent to San Diego two weeks after that.
Tonight, Manaea and Bassitt will face each other for the first time after six years together in Oakland.
It will be a significant moment for both pitchers, especially considering Bassitt’s reunion with his old manager in Oakland.
“BoMel and Manaea are my two favorite people in baseball,” Bassitt said. “Tomorrow’s going to be special.”
Added Manaea: “One of the top-five human beings I’ve ever met. Beautiful in every single way. He’s the man.”
Leading man
Until he cools off, Jurickson Profar appears to be the Padres’ leadoff hitter. Tuesday was the 12th straight game the switch-hitting left fielder was at the top of the order, and he added a twist, beginning the game with a 406-foot home run to right field.
It was just the second leadoff homer of his career, with the other one coming with Texas in May 2013.
Profar entered the game hitting .354/.380/.479 with one homer, eight RBIs and seven runs scored since moving into the leadoff spot. He has five multi-hit games in that stretch, including three three-hit games after doubling and singling twice in Monday’s loss.
“He’s been fantastic ever since he’s been back in the leadoff spot,” Melvin said. “(He’s) pretty aware of what he needs to do. Getting hits, getting on base, hitting lefthanded, hitting right-handed. (The) offense is looking a lot better since he’s been in the leadoff spot.”
Notable
Also on the injured list with right knee inflammation, OF Wil Myers said he is leaning toward the rest-andrehab route over arthroscopic surgery to address the loose cartilage flap behind his patellar tendon. A meeting with team doctors Tuesday would weigh heavily in the final decision, he said.