Padres' Craig Stammen Discusses 'Concerning' Injury to Starting Pitcher

The San Diego Padres' starting rotation has been decimated by injuries early in 2026. The most recent injury involves veteran right-hander Germán Márquez, who was placed on the injured list with forearm nerve inflammation on Sunday.

Márquez came to the Padres this offseason after spending the first 10 years of his career as a member of the Colorado Rockies. His numbers have been very up and down over the years, but Márquez was hopeful that the Padres could help him turn it around — and the Padres were hopeful getting him out of Coors Field would be the difference.

But his time in San Diego has also been fairly inconsistent, and now he finds himself on the injured list. Following the move, Padres manager Craig Stammen spoke about the status of Márquez and how long he expects him to be sidelined.

“It’s in the early stages, just evaluating it a little bit,” Stammen said. “Obviously, it’s in the forearm. So always concerning when you’re talking about a pitcher. But I think it’s not going to be too long.

"It’ll be one of those where he just needs some time off, and then he’ll get back throwing again. And then we’ll have a better Germán Márquez, hopefully.”

Any time a pitcher is dealing with forearm issues, it can become a lingering problem, so the team will likely take a cautious approach to the recovery. Márquez is also 31 years old, so there's no need to push him with all the mileage on his arm.

Overall, this season, Márquez has posted an ERA of 5.76 over six starts for San Diego. Because of his struggles, the Padres will likely be more inclined to have him take his time recovering.

In a corresponding move to losing Márquez, the Padres activated Griffin Canning to make his debut with the team. Canning had been recovering from a torn Achilles that he suffered last season, and he looked great in his first outing for San Diego.

The veteran right-handed went five innings against the Chicago White Sox, only allowing one run and one hit while striking out seven. This was the type of performance that the Padres envisioned when they brought in Canning, and they have high expectations for him the rest of the way.

As for Márquez, when he is able to return, he'll be under immense pressure to pitch well. Márquez's roster spot was already going to be in jeopardy with the return of Canning. With Lucas Giolito set to debut in the next couple weeks, spots are quickly filling up in San Diego's rotation.

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