Padres Reveal Diagnosis On Injured Lefty

Elbow discomfort. Those are two words a team never wants to hear about a pitcher. That was the issue when the San Diego Padres had to pull left-handed reliever Adrian Morejon from a game this past week. But manager Bob Melvin says the team has received some good news:

Padres manager Bob Melvin says that Adrian Morejon's MRI came back "clean" and later described the injury as "inflammation in the elbow" -- the Padres will now wait to see when Morejon is asymptomatic. pic.twitter.com/rbXzJo6Ybx

— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) March 17, 2023

"MRI clean. So it's going to be all about when he's asymptomatic. So whether it's a few days or whatever we're not sure about that yet." Melvin added that the injury is being classified as "inflammation in the elbow."

Morejon felt the discomfort while pitching in last Sunday's game, but was still throwing 96-97 mph at the time. 

The 24-year-old out of Cuba has a lengthy injury history in his short time in the majors. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021 and went on the IL last season for shoulder inflammation. He has just 66 major league innings to his credit in his four seasons.

He was once a top prospect, but until he's able to stay healthy, he won't be able to come close to reaching his potential. The southpaw has a career ERA of 5.05 with a 1.35 WHIP and 8.9 K/9. The Padres are counting on him as a piece of their bullpen from the left side this season. 

Photo: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports