LOS ANGELES -- Padres catcher Austin Hedges pulled himself from a rehab game with Triple-A El Paso on Thursday night as he experienced a recurrence of the right elbow soreness that landed him on the disabled list earlier this month.
Hedges' rehab stint has been temporarily shelved, though he'll remain with El Paso for now. The Padres are hopeful it's only a minor setback and Hedges can resume his progression next week.
"He's still not feeling right, so he's going to halt his rehab for a few days here, and hopefully we can begin it again in just a few days," said Padres manager Andy Green before Friday's series opener at Dodger Stadium. "They don't think it's serious, but it's disappointing to know he's feeling that way and can't get going."
Hedges played through elbow tendinitis for a couple of weeks in April, before a flareup caused him to be placed on the DL May 1.
Multiple tests have revealed no structural damage, and until Thursday's setback, the Padres were optimistic Hedges was close to a return.
"He had pretty much every test imaginable done and went up and saw a doctor here in L.A.," said Green. "... Everybody gave him a clean bill and expected him to be fine. We'll circle back around to see what it is that's causing this."
Hedges is batting .173/.235/.293 in 81 plate appearances this season.
Perdomo bound for Minors DL
On the whole, it was a rough injury day at the Padres' Triple-A affiliate. Right-hander Luis Perdomo is expected to be placed on the DL with inflammation in his pitching shoulder.
Perdomo, who was sent to Triple-A after struggling for three weeks in April, was a candidate to be recalled for a start Sunday. That's no longer a possibility.
Perdomo's shoulder ailment flared up during his bullpen session earlier this week. The Padres didn't offer a timetable for his return. Perdomo dealt with a similar injury last April and returned within two weeks.
Still, it's another unfortunate setback for the 25-year-old who offered so much promise as a Rule 5 rookie two seasons ago. In four big league starts this year, Perdomo allowed 15 runs and 26 hits over 14 innings.
Bullpen game slated for Sunday
With Perdomo no longer an option, Green indicated the Padres will "probably use the whole staff" for Sunday's series finale. He added that no starter will be announced until after Saturday's game, when his available arms become clearer.
"We're going to try to win today and tomorrow," Green said. "We'll use every single piece we think will give us the best opportunity to win. If we need to make a roster move on Saturday night to get us fresh arms for Sunday, we'll make one or two or multiple roster moves. We won't hold anybody back if we think it's got the possibility of helping us win a game today or tomorrow."
Lefty reliever Robbie Erlin has made two spot starts this season, but Green said it's unlikely Erlin starts Sunday. (He cited Erlin's splits -- a 1.96 ERA as a reliever and a 14.14 mark as a starter.) Green named Adam Cimber and Matt Strahm -- both of whom have experience working multiple innings -- as candidates. But he added that he wouldn't limit himself to those two.