Yu Darvish has not thrown a bullpen since Tuesday’s four-inning, simulated action in Lake Elsinore. That will likely occur before Saturday’s game at Petco Park, taking him out of the running for an aggressive return to the rotation on Sunday. Ryan Bergert is not eligible to return from the injured list until July 9, so that leaves the Padres deciding between someone in their nine-man bullpen or calling up a minor leaguer to take Sunday’s start.

Matt Waldron was optioned to Triple-A El Paso and can’t return to the majors unless he’s replacing an injured player.

“We have a bullpen with nine guys, but we’re also in Game 3 of a 10-day stretch consistently so that’s probably not likely,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “There’s some guys that you can do your research on that can come up and potentially grab a start from the minor league side.”

OK.

At Triple-A El Paso, the likeliest options are left-handers Kyle Hart and Omar Cruz.

Hart has a 6.66 ERA in six starts in the majors this season and a 4.67 in nine starts with El Paso. Hart last threw on June 28 and is not listed among the Chihuahuas starters this weekend.

Cruz is slated to start Saturday for El Paso. He has a 5.62 ERA in 41⅔ innings in the minors and has a 9.50 ERA over his last 18 innings.

Both Hart and Cruz are on the 40-man roster, as is Double-A San Antonio right-hander Henry Baez, Sunday’s listed starter in the Texas League and that circuit’s reigning pitcher of the month with a 1.13 ERA in five starts in June.

Right-hander Braden Nett also has a hot hand at Double-A San Antonio — a 1.47 ERA over his last six starts — but he is not on the 40-man roster. Nett is also Saturday’s scheduled starter for the Missions.

Nett is ranked No. 8 among Padres prospects by MLB.com, while Baez is No. 12.

 

Getting comfortable

Eduarniel Nuñez signed a minor league deal with the Padres in early November, in plenty of time to get an invitation to Joe Musgrove’s Camp 44 at Petco Park in January. It was a good time to begin to get acclimated to a new organization after eight years in the Cubs system.

The path to the Padres from there — from a 3.57 ERA in 22 ⅔ innings at Double-A San Antonio to 7⅓ shutout innings at Triple-A El Paso to an MLB debut on Wednesday in the second game of a doubleheader in Philadelphia — was simple.

“It’s just being really confident with my pitches and really attacking hitters as much as possible,” Nuñez said Friday afternoon through interpreter Jorge Merlos.

Nuñez wound up walking two batters and allowing a hit in one-third of an inning without giving up a run.

“I was kind of shocked,” Nuñez said of the call-up. “I don’t know how to explain it really. I was kind of in awe. … I felt a lot of emotions out there. “

Called up to replace Waldron on the active roster, Nuñez is currently part of a nine-man bullpen. He could be sent back down to the minors as soon as Sunday if the Padres call up an arm from the system to start the series finale against the Rangers.

 

Notable

  • RHP Michael King (shoulder) continues to trend in the right direction, although he is not yet throwing off a mound. Said Shildt: “This is as optimistic as we’ve been, (but) we’re still guarding the optimism. But all the things that we’re looking for consistently are showing up, just relative to lack of pain. He’s been pain free. His arm’s moving. He’s got more strength, more consistent strength and he’s been able to increase his throws, the intensity of his throws and the distance of his throws, and he’s been able to recover. So Michael is trending in a better direction.”
  • Bergert (forearm contusion) threw a bullpen session on Friday and could throw 50 to 60 pitches in a rehab game on Sunday or Tuesday. Shildt did not yet know where that assignment would take place.
  • RHP Logan Gillaspie cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A El Paso, where he started Friday’s game for the Chihuahuas.

Originally Published: July 4, 2025 at 3:50 PM PDT