Padres Injury News: RHP Michael Wacha Not Expected Back Until Early August
The 2023 season has been full of surprises for the San Diego Padres. They were expected to be one of the best teams in the league and ready to take the next step toward winning their first-ever World Series title.
But to this point, they have been a major letdown and have a ton of work to do, just to get back into contention.
However, there has been some good from this season. They have received positive production from some unlikely sources, including pitcher Michael Wacha. Wacha is currently dealing with an injured shoulder that has sidelined him for the last few weeks, but he was great for them before the injury.
As he continues to work through his injury, we got an update on his state earlier this week.
"RHP Michael Wacha (shoulder) played catch off the mound before Monday’s game and was expected to throw a touch-and-feel off the mound on Tuesday. With an off-day on Thursday, the Padres won’t need a fifth starter until Aug. 1. It’s unlikely that Wacha will take that turn, leading Melvin to speculate that internal options"
So, it’s likely that he will return sometime in early August. He would be a major boost to their starting rotation as the team looks to get back into contention this season.
He holds an ERA of 2.84 for the season and has a WHIP of 1.07. Wacha has also added in 73 strikeouts over 85.2 innings pitched as well. He has been impressive throughout, and it’s more than anyone in the organization could have hoped for from him.
If Wacha can come back and produce in the same way that he did before the injury, it would give the Padres another weapon in their rotation. They have ground to make up in the standings, and he could be a big help in that.
