Reliever Jeremiah Estrada was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder impingement, the Padres announced. The club recalled righty David Morgan to take his spot.
This marks Estrada’s third trip to the IL this season. He’s previously missed time with elbow and knee issues. San Diego has not given an estimate for Estrada’s return, but the timing and the nature of the injury may put the rest of his regular season in jeopardy.
Estrada last pitched on Monday against the Pirates. He took the loss after allowing the ghost runner to score in the 12th inning. The righty sat at 95.6 mph with his fastball. That’s not far off from his season-long mark (95.9 mph), but he’d been sitting above 96 mph in recent appearances.
Velocity has been a concern for Estrada all season. His four-seamer and slider are down two mph from 2025. His splitter has also lost a tick. The decreased velocity seems to have hampered Estrada’s effectiveness. His strikeout rate is still a strong 30.2%, but it was above 35% the past two seasons. Estrada’s walk rate has jumped up to 12.7%. His ERA sits at 3.48, his worst mark since 2023 with the Cubs.
Despite the decline in stuff, Estrada has remained a critical member of San Diego’s high-leverage group. He has a dozen holds and one save across 33 appearances. The unit, led by Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon, ranks second in xFIP and third in SIERA.
Estrada’s absence likely leads to more late-inning opportunities for Jason Adam and Bradgley Rodriguez. Adam is second on the team with 17 holds. Rodriguez has operated in multiple roles, including as an opener, but he’s picked up three holds and his first career save this month.
Morgan broke camp with the big-league club. He was sent down at the end of April, but rejoined the squad in early June. The righty missed all of July with knee inflammation. Morgan completed a rehab assignment earlier this month. He has a 4.50 ERA in 22 games with the Padres this season. He’s punched out opponents at a 24.8% clip, to go with a hefty 12.4% walk rate.
Photo courtesy of David Frerker, Imagn Images
