Follow the Padres on Facebook
Have a Facebook account? Follow the U-T's Padres page for links to video, stories and other content, and to interact with other fans. Go to:www.facebook.com/...>
PEORIA, Ariz. Mat Latos might begin the season not atop the mound in St. Louis, but on the disabled list.
Latos missed what was scheduled to be his final spring training start Saturday with a shoulder injury, and manager Bud Black said there’s no timetable for when Latos will resume throwing.
Asked whether Latos is a candidate for the disabled list, Black said, “Sure, oh yeah. It’s an option.”
Black confirmed that Latos’ injury is an inflamed bursa sac.
“This, from what I’ve been told,” said Black, “can turn (in a positive direction) quickly. And it can also be a little bit of time.”
Latos’ injury and the uncertainty of his future serves as a microcosm of the Padres’ 2011 spring training. Blessed with a healthy roster for most of 2010, the Padres have battled assorted nagging injuries this spring.
Left-handed reliever Joe Thatcher, who allowed one run in his final 40 games last year, will open the season on the disabled list with a shoulder injury.
Utility specialist Eric Patterson (hamstring), one of the club’s hottest hitters this spring, is a DL candidate. Shortstop Jason Bartlett (knee) played for the first time in six days Saturday.
Center fielder Cameron Maybin hasn’t played since leaving Thursday’s game with a tight right thigh. Black said Maybin is being rested strictly for precautionary reasons.
Asked if he’d be playing were it the regular season, Maybin said, “Absolutely. Believe it.”
The pitching staff has dealt with injuries, too, with starters Clayton Richard (shoulder) and Tim Stauffer (hip flexor) missing time. Both are healthy now.
It’s a contrast to 2010 when five pitchers made 131 of the first 133 starts. The first significant injuries to regular players weren’t until late in the season when Tony Gwynn and Jerry Hairston were sidelined.
“I think if you looked across the landscape of the game, this happens to every club,” Black said. “There’s bumps and bruises. Fortunately for us, there hasn’t been anything catastrophic, like Adam Wainwright.”
Wainwright, who won 39 games for St. Louis the past two seasons, is out for the season with an elbow injury.
Black said that if Latos and Patterson join Thatcher on the disabled list to open the season, it doesn’t appear as if any of the trio will be sidelined for an extended period.
•Bartlett went 1-for-3 in his return and didn’t commit an error.
•Black said that unless Richard or Aaron Harang suffer a physical setback, they’ll start the second and third games against St. Louis. Stauffer will pitch the season opener.
•With three days off in the first week of the season, Black is expected to start with a four-man rotation. With Latos’ status uncertain, Black hasn’t named a fourth starter.
•Richard is scheduled to get his final spring start today in Anaheim against the Angels.
•Gwynn, who has locked up a backup outfield job for the Dodgers, went 1-for-2 and is hitting .289.