Right-handed starting pitcher Casey Mize, one of the San Diego Padres' most crucial additions leading up to the recent trade deadline, was forced to exit his Saturday start after injuring his ankle on the dugout steps.
Mize sprained his right ankle – his "drive" leg off the mound – while descending the dugout steps between the second and third innings of his start against the Twins, an eventual 7-5 win for San Diego. Mize went out for the third inning after having his ankle taped, but was unable to complete the frame.
"I think my spike got caught on like the edge of the step, I guess, and then it kind of just made me slip a little bit," Mize said after the game, via MLB.com. "I tried to catch myself, and I ended up rolling my ankle kind of on the bottom step there."
Imaging on his injured ankle was negative, and Mize is classified as day-to-day for now.
In that Saturday start, Mize allowed four runs total and three home runs in 2 ⅔ innings of work. He now has a 7.00 ERA after four starts with the Padres. However, his pre-trade work with the Tigers – a 2.70 ERA and 2.56 FIP over 16 starts – gives him a strong overall body of work this season. The 29-year-old Mize is slated for free agency this coming offseason, but first his focus will be on getting back on the mound and helping the Padres qualify for the playoffs for the fifth time in the last seven years.
At present, the Padres under first-year manager Craig Stammen are 70-60 and in third wild-card position in the NL. They're also 14-6 thus far in August.
