SAN DIEGO -- It's been a frustrating stop-and-start season for Padres right fielder Wil Myers. He hit another snag on Saturday night in a 12-2 win over the Mets.
Myers exited the game clutching his side after fouling off a pitch in the top of the fifth inning. He was diagnosed with a left oblique strain and was placed on the disabled list Sunday morning. The Padres recalled outfielder Travis Jankowski in his place.
During the half-inning prior to the injury, Myers said he noticed a small sensation in his oblique area, but during his warmup swings in the fifth it had adequately subsided. Then he took a big cut at a 1-0 fastball from Mets starter Jason Vargas, and he immediately grabbed his left side. He watched a 1-1 pitch down the middle before calling for a team trainer.
"I felt it on that swing, and I didn't really want to push it after that," Myers said. "I felt like if I swung the bat again, it could've gotten a lot worse."
The Padres offered no timetable for a potential return. Myers said he was told the injury is "low grade" and targeted a comeback in about two weeks. Manager Andy Green didn't seem quite so optimistic.
"These things aren't typically quick," said Green, who dealt with an oblique strain of his own during his career. "… I'm not going to wager a guess. I just know these things don't progress just because you want them to. Hopefully it doesn't take too long."
Myers was 12-for-40 (.300) this season with three doubles and a homer. He missed two games early in the year because of back tightness. On the night he returned from his back ailment, he left the game early with an arm injury.
Myers was later diagnosed with nerve irritation in his right arm and spent two weeks on the disabled list. He returned to game action on April 20 in Arizona and was 9-for-28 (.321) since.
"It's tough," Myers said. "Especially when you come back and are starting to feel good, starting to swing it well, and all of a sudden something else pops up."
Myers' injury leaves Franchy Cordero, Jose Pirela and Manuel Margot as projected starters in a once-crowded Padres' outfield. On the disabled list, Myers joins Hunter Renfroe, who is working his way back from inflammation in his right elbow.
Jankowski was off to a red-hot start for Triple-A El Paso, having reached base in 19 of his last 24 plate appearances. Still, his skill set is mostly predicated on speed and defense. Should the Padres opt for an outfield of Margot-Cordero-Jankowski, it's a safe bet it'd be the fastest in baseball.
"I don't think many baseballs are going to drop," Jankowski said.
The Padres still plan to give Pirela time at second base, which could free up at-bats for Jankowski. He could start against certain right-handers as well, but he was on the bench for Sunday's series finale against the Mets.
"This turns into Travis' opportunity," Green said. "If he runs with it the way Christian Villanueva has, the way Franchy has, you can cement yourself right into the mix quickly."