San Diego Padres Could Be Losing Left-Hander For A While

The San Diego Padres' bullpen may be taking a depth hit from the left-handed side, as 4-year veteran Adrián Morejón will be undergoing an MRI on Wednesday for elbow discomfort after being pulled from the Padres' game on Sunday. 

Padres manager Bob Melvin tried to look on the bright side:

Padres manager Bob Melvin says Adrian Morejon exited the game due to an issue “just above his elbow” and “hopefully, it’s nothing serious” — more from Melvin: pic.twitter.com/4PikV1tvl8

— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) March 12, 2023

"Just kind of in the back, just above his elbow... Hopefully it's nothing serious. He was still throwing 96-97 mph at the time, so hopefully that's encouraging."

Padres Insider Kevin Acee, however, took the other side of the coin, pointing out Morejon's lengthy injury history. 

Our #Padres Insider, @sdutkevinacee, gave an update on Adrian Morejon on the @DsmithShow pic.twitter.com/ruAyeudEPD

— San Diego Sports 760 (@Sports760) March 13, 2023

"Your injury history becomes who you are at some point... I think about this incredibly talented player who can't stay on the mound... Pain behind the elbow is not a good sign."

Morejon was likely being counted on for 60 or 70 innings this season from the left side, according to Acee. The lefty was once a top prospect in the game, but just hasn't been able to stay healthy. Most recently, he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021 and went on the IL last season for shoulder inflammation. He has just 66 major league innings in total over the last four seasons.

Photo: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports