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Padres Lose Starting Pitcher to Elbow Injury, Announce Sudden Change for Tuesday’s Game

The Padres lost a pitcher to a concerning injury.
J.P. Hoornstra|
San Diego Padres relief pitcher Wandy Peralta (58) pitches against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Globe Life Field on June 21.
San Diego Padres relief pitcher Wandy Peralta (58) pitches against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Globe Life Field on June 21. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

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San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres placed right-hander pitcher Lucas Giolito on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with right elbow inflammation and recalled JP Sears from Triple-A El Paso.

The Padres also announced left-handed pitcher Wandy Peralta will start the second game of the series at Petco Park. It appears he will be an opener for right-hander Griffin Canning.

Peralta is 1-0 with a 1.91 ERA in 32 games (two starts) this season.

The strategy of using Canning behind an opener seemed to work for him in his last start, as he allowed one run over 4.1 innings and earned his first win of the year.

“I don’t have time to overthink things,” Canning said after his last outing in which he followed right-handed pitcher Bradgley Rodriguez. “Just kind of come out and attack right away.”

Canning is 1-5 with a 6.64 ERA across 42 this season.

Padres Place Lucas Giolito on Injured List

The more pressing announcement is the injury to Giolito, who missed all of the 2024 season recovering from Tommy John surgery.

When he returned to the Boston Red Sox in 2025, Giolito put together a solid season, going 10-4 with a 3.41 ERA in 26 starts. But he lingered on the free agent market long into the offseason and through spring training.

When he finally signed a one-year contract with San Diego on April 22, Giolito received a mere $3 million. Although he hasn't missed an outing this year, the injury raises questions about why Giolito might have had trouble finding a stronger offer sooner in free agency.

Giolito is 2-3 this season with a 5.16 ERA in seven games (five starts) for the Padres.

How Will Padres Replace Lucas Giolito in Rotation?

Sears, a left-hander, had been starting at Triple-A El Paso. He will start Wednesday against the Braves, and Randy Vásquez will start Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Sears, 30, was struggling mightily with the Chihuahuas — but especially against right-handed hitters, who owned a .348/.408/.571 slash line against him. Triple-A lefties were slashing .267/.349/.360 against Sears.

Sears went 2-2 with a 5.47 ERA in five starts for the Padres last season after they acquired him from the Athletics in the Mason Miller trade. This will be his first MLB action in 2026 in what's been a disappointing San Diego tenure.

Padres Activate Freddy Fermin From Injured List, Option Blake Hunt

The Padres announced another roster move ahead of Tuesday's game.

Catcher Freddy Fermin has been activated off the 7-day injured list while Blake Hunt was sent back to Triple-A.

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J.P. Hoornstra
J.P. HOORNSTRA

J.P. Hoornstra is an On SI Contributor. A veteran of 20 years of sports coverage for daily newspapers in California, J.P. covered MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Los Angeles Angels (occasionally of Anaheim) from 2012-23 for the Southern California News Group. His first book, The 50 Greatest Dodgers Games of All-Time, published in 2015. In 2016, he won an Associated Press Sports Editors award for breaking news coverage. He once recorded a keyboard solo on the same album as two of the original Doors.

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