Last winter, the Padres placed a limited but still-significant bet on the still-healing right arm of Garrett Richards. The expectation was that the Tommy John rehabber would be at full strength for the 2020 campaign and might even be ready in time to make a late contribution in 2019.
As of early July, it seemed things were proceeding well. Richards was ultimately sent out to begin a rehab assignment in mid-July, starting a thirty-day clock for potential MLB activation. That wasn’t a hard timeline — MLB rules allow the commissioner to grant up to three, ten-day rehab extensions for pitchers returning from TJS — but the 31-year-old would not have been put in a competitive pitching environment had he not been deemed ready to begin his march back to the MLB mound in earnest.
Richards started off gingerly, making two brief appearances with the Friars’ rookie ball Arizona League affiliate. His rehab work was placed in a higher gear in late July, when he joined the San Diego High-A outfit at Lake Elsinore. Richards didn’t exactly dominate in his first start: he allowed two earned runs on five hits and two walks, while generating just one strikeout, over 57 pitches in 2 1/3 innings.
It was encouraging, then, to see Richards come out of the gates in better form yesterday. He ran up five strikeouts against two walks and two base hits over 2 2/3 innings. Richards had only thrown 51 pitches to that point, thirty of them for strikes, so he surely was slated to remain on the hill at least to record his ninth out — if not also to begin the fourth inning.
Unfortunately, Richards ended up departing the mound at that point. The official word (Twitter link) is that the veteran righty was pulled with “apparent discomfort in his right shoulder.” The Mad Friars Twitter account indicates that trainers were looking at Richards’s shoulder rather than his recently repaired (and long problematic) elbow. While that’s not necessarily comforting in and of itself, it’s good to hear that the decision to pull him from the mound was deemed precautionary and that there’s no current expectation that Richards will miss a start.
Even if this proves to be a blip, it seems we’re still at least a few weeks away from potentially seeing Richards in the majors. Given its place in the standings, the San Diego club has no reason to proceed with anything but the utmost caution with the hard-throwing right-hander. He’ll still need to build his pitch count up and also spend some time fine-tuning against higher-level competition. And the organization will ultimately need to clear 40-man roster space to accommodate Richards (as will be required regardless once the season ends and the 60-day injured list goes dormant).
usafcop
This guy’s has missed more time than he has pitched over the past few seasons or do it seems….think it might be time to call it quits….that blazing fastball early in his career was nice but man when you kiss more time than you put in….it’s gotta be time to call it a career…..
usafcop
Sorry I meant that this guy has missed more time than he has pitched lately and I think it’s time to call it quits….he did more than most people by lasting several seasons in the Majors….nothing wrong with walking away to stay healthy….
vtadave
Well he’s owed $8.5 million in 2020, so guessing he won’t retire.
Vizionaire
mr. richard, hope you get healthy and pitch 15 more years!
genre99
His name is Garrett, not Richard.
DTD
Immense talent destroyed by injury, such a common theme across all sports
bbatardo
As I was reading the story I kept waiting for the bad news to pop up lol. Assuming his shoulder is fine, they should just minimize his workload and have him be a reliever the rest of the year.
dvmin98
Shut him down for the rest of the season. Let him play a bit of winter ball. Ramp it back up in the spring
Kwflanne
Another Preller genius move
sdsuphilip
The move was for 2020 not 2019.
rez2405 2
In other words they spent $15.5 million dollars on a pitcher for 2020
rocky7
Yes, that is right, and remember that just because you undergo TJ surgery, there is no magic potion that guarantees he’ll be the same pitcher he was prior to the surgery contrary to popular opinion cited by countess posters on MLBtraderumors.com
Its a wait and see and frankly he wasn’t that hot stuff prior to the surgery so Prellers move to sign him was dubious at best!
padreforlife
Dude hasn’t pitched full season since 2015. He’s paper machete
Pads Fans
Most guys are never as good as they were before the surgery. What TJ does do is allow them to still play even if its at 80 or 90% of what their best was before. 80-90% of Richards was still a #2 in the Padres rotation. That is worth $15 million.
Pads Fans
Paper Mache. A machete is a short sword used to chop your way through heavy brush or foliage.
99socalfrc
What is 80-90% of Richards worth in prospect currency at next years deadline? Bet we find out.
csspackler
Paper machete? He’s a big knife?
genre99
Perhaps he actually meant ‘machete,’ as a paper machete might look good, but would be completely useless?
Kwflanne
If you’re under the impression that he will be healthy and pitch anything over 75-100 innings in 2020 you are sadly mistaken.
sdhitman19
Why. He could very well be healthy and pitch well over 100 innings. We are not talking about a 20 year old prospect. He will not be babied next year.
padreforlife
He hasn’t pitched full season since 2015, so really ramping him up for full season is wishful thinking and just plain dumb. What else from over 100 games under .500 as GM
99socalfrc
Fowler & Seidler would be better off taking money out in the streets of SD and setting it on fire than letting Preller run things.
Just in the last two seasons:
Signed Kaz Makita for $4m
Eating $12m on Headley’s contract for the rights to ……………….Bryan Mitchell
Spent $144m for a league average first baseman
Eating $8m of Phil Hughes contract for the rights to draft Grant Little
Extended Clayton Richard to an inexplicable $3m deal and ate half of it
Signed 400 year old Ian Kinsler for 2 years and $8m
Signed a record $15m deal for a pitcher missing a year from TJS
Again, this is just the last 2 seasons.
And oh BTW the “rebuilding” Padres have a franchise record payroll in 2019 yet are still looking up at .500
The guy can’t even work a comb, why would you hire him to run a MLB team?
padreforlife
You missed overpaid Machado
padreforlife
U noted only last 2 seasons it’s 5 years of moronic moves by hipster
99socalfrc
We don;t have time to go over all 5 seasons. Although if it helps we could point out that over this season and next they will pay $16m to Olivera on the contract Preller took to get rid of Kemp. This of course was in addition to the $10.5m they paid the Braves to take Kemp.
rocky7
ROCK STAR GM! Yeh!!!!!!
Pads Fans
Your vitriol is misplaced and its not your money. In 3 1/2 years he has rebuilt an organization from the ground up. The team has made leaps and bounds in talent level.
99socalfrc
I’m not saying he shouldn’t spend the money, I’m saying he should spend it on better players. Isn’t he supposed to be some talent finding bloodhound? His talent radar told him to give Wil Myers and Eric Hosmer a combined $227m? That’s not good GM’ing no matter how you slice it.
And BTW he has been there now 5 years.
Pads Fans
The moves for the 2015 season were made at the direction of Dee for marketing purposes. The Padres had the All Star game in SD that year and they needed marquee players. Dee is gone now and that debacle of a season is part of the reason why.
The rebuild started in mid 2015. Some say it started at the end of 2015.
1/2 of 2015 + 2016 + 2017 + 2018 + 1/2 of 2019 is 4 seasons of the rebuild.
padreforlife
Ok West Coast Ryan
punkindrublik
Finally someone who gets it! 2015 was all Mike Dee!!!!!
padreforlife
Rebuilt what losing?
nypadre66
But he just traded 1 major leaguer and 2 prospects for a guy who’ll fit right into the Padres outfield in 2 years – barely hitting his weight and striking out a ton. He’ll be perfect between Myers and Renfroe – 3 of a kind!
padreforlife
Myers and Renfroe that’s some OF ya
hoosierhysteria
Let the kids play. C u next year
padreforlife
Another dimwit Preller signing
Show Me Your Tatis
Another dimwit padreforlife comment
Pads Fans
One of the few times I agree with Ryan.
Show Me Your Tatis
It’s ok Koamalu. Everyone realizes by now that padreforlife is a nutjob.
sdhorris
Lol
Pads Fans
You could tell something was wrong after the Ramos at bat. Then his velocity was noticeably down on the walk of Bart. Then he called the training staff out. He was cursing up a storm, pun intended, walking into the locker room. The fans could hear it clearly.
Hopefully its just something that shuts him down for the rest of 2019 and he can return in 2020. The Padres put a lot of faith in him returning and did not pick up a top notch starter last offseason or at the trade deadline. That might bite them in the behind.
csspackler
Were you there? What did he say?
Pads Fans
Yes, we were there. He said lots of words that would get my post “moderated” on here. A stream of curse words punctuated by the f word.
If it was me I would be angry and scared that all that effort I put into rehabbing the TJ was down the drain with a different injury and I would be using a few choice words as well.
Whatever happened to his shoulder, it seemed happen on the 2nd pitch to Ramos.
VegasSDfan
Get ready for shoulder surgery.
Show Me Your Tatis
I’d rather have Richards be at full strength when he comes back tbh. Even if it means waiting until 2020.
VegasSDfan
Face it, the Padres wasted a ton of money, and Richard’s wont ever be healthy again.
He is the 2019/20 Mark Prior.
Forget it.
g-dub777
Hopes the shoulder thing is a blip…..looking forward to seeing him in AA Amarillo soon!!!
padreforlife
Dimwit Hipster spent 24 mil total on Richards and Kinsler. Preller could you of spent same amount on LeMahieu who’s only hitting .336, 18, and 76. That’s Preller who’s a dumpster fire
Show Me Your Tatis
Proofread your comments you insufferable twerp.
padreforlife
Ok 16 errors