Clevinger was scratched from his scheduled Cactus League start Sunday against the Athletics due to a sore right knee and is expected to begin the season on the injured list, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports. "It felt like we were kind of in a rush job with him to begin with," Padres manager Bob Melvin said, in reference to getting Clevinger ready for Opening Day during a compressed spring training. "So [placing him on the IL] allows us to kind of smooth things out, slow it down."
If there's a positive takeaway from Clevinger and his fantasy investors, it's that he's not dealing with an arm-related injury as he makes his comeback from the Tommy John surgery he required in November 2020. The extent of Clevinger's injury isn't yet known, but even if his soreness proves to be only a minor concern, a brief IL stint looks to be in the forecast. San Diego added to its already robust collection of starting pitcher depth Sunday by acquiring Sean Manaea, who will make his Padres and Cactus League debut against his former Athletics squad just hours after being traded.