Padres welcome Myers back from DL

SAN FRANCISCO -- Wil Myers rejoined the Padres on Thursday afternoon. Both parties are hopeful for a more permanent stay this time.
San Diego's slugging right fielder has been out since he strained his left oblique on a swing in late April. Prior to that, he had missed time due to nerve irritation in his right arm, as well as back soreness, which may have been tied to his oblique injury.
All the while, Myers' bat has been sorely missed in the Padres' lineup, and he was in the leadoff spot on Thursday night in San Francisco. Entering play, he was hitting .300 with a homer and three doubles.

"It's exciting," Myers said. "When you're out for all that time, you miss it really bad. So it's good to be back here playing games that mean something and being able to go out and help the team."
When San Diego signed Eric Hosmer in February, the club moved Myers to the outfield and envisioned a lineup anchored by those two for the next few years. It has yet to materialize in 2018.
"You can't change the circumstances," Myers said. "You've just got to deal with them. The only way to get through this is to have a good outlook on it. I know I have half the year left here, so I can still do what I need to do here. I trained pretty hard this offseason, so I'm looking forward to the last three months, helping the team and getting going."
To clear room for Myers, the Padres optioned Franmil Reyes to Triple-A El Paso. Reyes batted .228 with a .717 OPS in his first big league stint.

Reyes could conceivably still play a role in the team's outfield of the future. But there weren't enough at-bats to go around, said Padres manager Andy Green. The Padres opted to keep Matt Szczur on board, given that Szczur often serves as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement -- better qualities for a fifth outfielder who receives minimal playing time.
As for Myers, don't expect an everyday role for him from the start.
"He might play two days, then have a day off," Green said. "He might play three days, then have a day off. We might carry that on for some considerable period of time to just ensure that he's in a good physical spot and ready to go before we unleash him to go on a very consistent basis."
That means more of the same for the rest of the Padres' outfield. Manuel Margot, Hunter Renfroe, Travis Jankowski and Reyes had spent the past month splitting at-bats somewhat evenly among the three spots. Expect Myers to slot right into that rotation.
"I'd rather play every day, but I think it's best for me and best for the team," Myers said. "We've got a lot of really good players here right now. ... For me, personally, just getting back into it, that probably is the right thing."
Swapping Phils
The Padres placed right-hander Phil Hughes on the disabled list with a rhomboid strain in his back. They recalled Phil Maton to take his place in the bullpen.
Maton was off to an excellent start before he was sidelined in mid-May with a right lat strain. In 16 innings, Maton allowed one earned run while striking out 17.
"It was not really the best time to get hurt in my mind," Maton said. "I felt like I was in a groove, figuring out how I need to pitch up here."
Green noted Hughes felt pain in his back while throwing the second-to-last pitch of his outing Wednesday afternoon. The team is hopeful he won't miss much time.
In seven appearances for the Padres, Hughes has posted a 6.23 ERA.

Rea, Cordero switch places
Outfielder Franchy Cordero was moved to the 60-day DL on Thursday, as he mulls whether surgery is the best option for the bone spur in his right elbow.
"Whether he chooses the rest path or the surgery path, either way it's going to be a full 60 days from the time he left to the time he's activated," Green said. "You're going to see some rehab games in there as well, so that [roster move] was not an indication that he's opted for anything."
The transaction became necessary when right-hander Colin Rea's rehab time ran out. Rea is working his way back from 2016 Tommy John surgery, as well as a right lat strain that sidelined him at the beginning of Spring Training.
The Padres actived Rea from the 60-day DL and optioned him to Triple-A El Paso. The 27-year-old struggled in six rehab starts for Double-A San Antonio, allowing 19 earned runs in 24 innings while striking out 21.
"He's had some outings that were solid," Green said. "He hasn't been his typical self, which is normal for a lot of guys coming back from TJ. ... You trust once Colin's healthy and ready to go, he's going to be a big part of what we do."
Mitchell has tendinitis, inflammation
Right-hander Bryan Mitchell underwent an MRI on his ailing right elbow, and he was diagnosed with tendinitis in the elbow and inflammation in his right forearm. He sustained no ligament damage, Green said.
The Padres will shut Mitchell down for about a week while he takes anti-inflammatory medication. Presuming he's feeling better, Mitchell could resume throwing next week.
It's been a rough season for the right-hander, who was acquired via trade with the Yankees in December. Mitchell owns a 7.08 ERA in 12 appearances (seven starts).