San Diego Padres right-hander Chris Paddack, in the midst of a strong rookie season, was surprisingly optioned to Class-A Lake Elsinore (Calif.) on Wednesday.
Multiple media outlets reported that the move was made in an effort to limit Paddack’s innings or give him a rest. Reportedly, Paddack will be back in the majors soon, and the demotion won’t affect his major league service time as long as he returns within 20 days.
After a no-decision in a five-inning start against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, Paddack is 4-4 with a 3.15 ERA and a 0.929 WHIP through 12 starts in his first major league season.
His WHIP would rank second in the National League behind the 0.802 mark of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Hyun-Jin Ryu, but he is 1 1/3 innings short of qualifying for the league leaderboard.
Paddack, 23, is at 65 2/3 innings this year. His high in four previous minor league seasons was 90 innings last year between Class-A and Double-A.
Through his first nine starts, Paddack was 4-2 with a 1.93 ERA. His form dipped in his past three starts, as he went 0-2 with a 7.53 ERA.
Paddack was an eighth-round draft pick of the Miami Marlins in 2015. San Diego acquired Paddack in a June 2016 trade that sent Fernando Rodney to Miami.
The Padres replaced Paddack on the roster by recalling right-hander Robert Stock from Triple-A El Paso.
Stock, 28, was 1-0 with a 9.00 ERA in seven relief appearances for San Diego earlier this season. He was 3-0 with a 2.79 ERA in 19 relief outings for El Paso.
