Pham (broken hand) to miss 4-6 weeks
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Padres outfielder Tommy Pham is expected to miss four to six weeks after undergoing surgery on Monday for a broken hamate bone in his left hand, manager Jayce Tingler said.
Pham sustained the injury while swinging at a pitch in the ninth inning of a 5-4 loss in Arizona. He was removed in the middle of the at-bat.
“We’ve just got to see how his treatment and his progression back goes,” said Tingler. “Historically, it’s four to six weeks. We’ll see. Tommy’s a different bird. He’s got a really high pain tolerance. Cautiously optimistic there.”
Even though Pham was off to a slow start with the Padres, his absence will be felt in a big way. The left fielder was hitting just .207/.316/.293. But he was acquired to be a premier on-base threat in a lineup that desperately needed one. The Padres have serious questions regarding their replacement options.
Without Pham, outfielders Josh Naylor and Edward Olivares will likely be asked to slot into his vacant outfield spot. There's some platoon potential with that duo. But neither of the two has impressed much early this season.
The lefty-hitting Naylor was in the lineup on Monday night against Rangers right-hander Jordan Lyles. The 23-year-old Naylor owns a .250/.315/.403 slash line in 101 career games, though he has never received regular playing time. That might soon be changing.
“Hopefully, he can get some consistent at-bats and be a little bit of a spark for us,” Tingler said. “I like the way Naylor swings it. He’s got the ability to get on, and he’s got the ability to drive the ball. Hopefully, he finds a little bit of rhythm and timing at the plate.”
Pham’s injury is the latest setback after a weekend full of them. Sunday's loss was the Padres' fifth straight, and it came on the heels of closer Kirby Yates being shut down with right elbow irritation. Meanwhile, catcher Francisco Mejía was placed on the injured list with a left thumb contusion and outfielder Wil Myers is still battling back soreness, though the Padres don’t expect an IL stint to be necessary for Myers.
Catcher Luis Torrens and infielder Ty France were recalled from the taxi squad to take the roster spots of Mejía and Pham.