Padres News: Drew Pomeranz Suffers Setback, Officially Won’t Pitch in 2023

It's another bump in the road for the lefty.

San Diego Padres relief pitcher Drew Pomeranz will not pitch for the Friars in 2023, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune said Tuesday. 

The news comes after the left-hander recently faced elbow discomfort during his rehab assignment with Triple-A El Paso. 

Drew Pomeranz will not pitch again for the #Padres. He had been rehabbing with @epchihuahuas but has not pitched since Sept. 3. The elbow started bothering him again.

— Jeff Sanders (@sdutSanders) September 19, 2023

Pomeranz has not pitched in the major leagues since 2021, when he had flexor tendon surgery in August, prematurely ending what was a successful season for the Friars. 

Pomeranz posted a 1.75 ERA across 27 appearances that year. 

Now the veteran, who will turn 35 years old this November, again faces an uncertain road back to MLB.

The lefty has been productive throughout his 11 major league seasons, but he's spent time on the injured list in each of the past five years. 

Pomeranz is set to enter free agency this offseason and the odds of him coming back to the organization are slim, especially with All-Star closer Josh Hader and NL Cy Young contender Blake Snell each set to hit the market this winter as well. 

When it comes down to it, trying to re-sign Hader and Snell should rank much higher on the Padres' priority list than taking a flyer on Pomeranz. 

Snell has seemed open to re-signing with San Diego throughout this season, and the Padres should be one of many suitors for one of MLB's best starting pitchers. 

The franchise has a big offseason coming up after what's been a very disappointing 2023 campaign, and they'll have many major decisions to make on the heels of that. 

Pomeranz will continue to try to work his way back from his elbow problem, but it seems unlikely that he'll be a part of the team in 2024.