The Padres could have another late-inning arm available as their three-game series with the Dodgers moves toward Wednesday. Right-hander Jason Adam, sidelined for nearly three months by a right shoulder strain, said he feels fully prepared to return after joining the club in Los Angeles.
Adam threw live batting practice Monday at Petco Park, facing injured Padres hitters Gavin Sheets and Miguel Andujar in a simulated inning. The outing served as a final check after a rocky Triple-A rehab assignment, and it left the veteran reliever encouraged about a possible activation for the middle game against Los Angeles.
“I’m more than ready,” Adam said. “I feel 100 percent ready.”
A needed option for the stretch run
Before the shoulder injury interrupted his season, Adam owned a 2.51 ERA across 36 appearances. San Diego’s relief corps has been among baseball’s strongest units, with Mason Miller handling the ninth inning and Adrian Morejon working as the leading setup option.
Adam is expected to slot into the bridge innings in front of that pair. The exact leverage of those assignments may depend on how quickly his command and swing-and-miss stuff return following the lengthy absence, but the Padres see him as a meaningful addition for the final push.
“What this club is doing is special,” Adam said. “I want to take whatever role is there and help win games. They’ve shown they’re a good team with or without me. I just want to contribute.”
Petco session steadies Adam after El Paso results
Adam made three appearances for Triple-A El Paso while building back toward the majors. The final two lines were rough: he surrendered five runs without getting an out last Wednesday, then gave up four more runs while recording only one out Thursday.
Those results came in a particularly difficult offensive environment, and the club believed some unfavorable contact played a part. Still, Monday’s workout against Sheets and Andujar gave Adam a chance to test himself against big league hitters before rejoining the Padres.
“I felt great,” Adam said. “The stuff was good, the ball was coming out well, and I’m pleased with where I am. It confirmed for me that I’m ready.”
Manager Craig Stammen indicated Adam could be used on consecutive days once he is activated, though the Padres may still manage his workload carefully after the shoulder issue.
How the Padres may deploy him
Adam has kept runs off the board this season, but his strikeout rate has dipped notably. He has induced weak contact, yet he has not missed bats at the same level he has in the past, leaving more of his success tied to how balls in play bounce.
That could lead San Diego to ease him into the highest-pressure assignments until it sees how his arsenal plays after the layoff. Even so, his experience and earlier-season production give the Padres another capable option in a bullpen already built to shorten games.
The chance carries added meaning for Adam. He missed last year’s postseason after rupturing his quadriceps tendon in September, an injury that kept him from taking part in the games every contender spends six months chasing.
“You can’t assume any day in the big leagues, especially a playoff game, will be there again,” Adam said. “You don’t know when the next opportunity is coming. We play 162 games for the chance to reach October and win a World Series. I want to be part of that as much as I can.”
