Dickerson back in Majors after 'an eternity'
SAN DIEGO -- After back surgery in 2017 and Tommy John surgery in '18, Alex Dickerson's road back to the Padres was a long one.
"Long" isn't the only adjective he'd use.
"It's been boring, to be honest," he joked. "It was obviously pretty devastating. To miss a year in baseball feels like a long time. Two years feels like an eternity. You feel pretty useless at points when you’re not moving much."
The Padres selected Dickerson's contract on Friday ahead of the series opener against the Dodgers. They optioned right-hander Luis Perdomo to clear space.
With Travis Jankowski (left wrist) and Franchy Cordero (right elbow) on the injured list, the Padres' bench -- and particularly their outfield -- is devoid of left-handed bats.
In that regard, Dickerson will almost certainly fill the same role he filled in 2016 when he broke onto the scene as a fourth outfielder and a useful bench bat. That year, Dickerson hit .257/.333/.455, and he seemed destined to become an important cog in the Padres' outfield moving forward.
That obviously never materialized. The Padres designated Dickerson for assignment during the offseason after two years of injuries. He inked a Minors deal shortly thereafter. In his mind there was never any doubt he was coming back to San Diego.
"I just wanted to be somewhere I was comfortable," Dickerson said. "I'd gone through two years already of the rehab process with this group of trainers and people that knew my body best. I didn't want to take the risk of going somewhere else."
Dickerson, whose defense remains a question mark, was raking at Triple-A El Paso. He hit .360/.462/.593 in 24 games.
Quantrill set for another start?
The Padres' decision to option Perdomo wasn't all that surprising. But it left the club with a seven-man bullpen, when they've spent most of the season with eight.
It also means the Padres are still carrying six starters, making it likely that Cal Quantrill gets the ball Tuesday night against the Mets. The rookie right-hander worked 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball against the Braves on Wednesday.
With 13 games in 13 days, the Padres are trying to limit the workload on their starting five, the youngest group in the Majors. Manager Andy Green noted that the six-man rotation is only temporary.
AJ Cassavell covers the Padres for MLB.com.