Casey Mize’s first season with the San Diego Padres is over, with a lingering ankle injury ending his chances of helping the club in the postseason.
The Padres placed Mize on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a right ankle sprain and recalled Griffin Canning from the Arizona Complex League. The moves came with San Diego preparing for its final regular-season games and Tuesday’s Wild Card roster deadline.
Mize’s ankle has been an issue since August, when he slipped on the dugout steps during a start against Minnesota. Imaging was negative at the time, but the injury continued to bother him.
The problem became more apparent Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Mize allowed seven runs in four innings during an 11-4 loss, and afterward admitted the ankle was affecting his ability to use his lower half and finish pitches.
Mize finished his Padres stint with a 7.36 ERA across 10 starts after joining San Diego at the trade deadline. His placement on the IL also removes him from consideration for the Wild Card Series and a potential NL Division Series roster.
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Canning now returns to a Padres roster that already has plenty of pitching decisions to make. He has posted a 5.57 ERA with 85 strikeouts in 85⅔ innings this season, although he recently allowed just one earned run over 14⅔ innings before being optioned.
San Diego entered Saturday at 89-71, sitting second in the NL West behind the 98-62 Los Angeles Dodgers. The Padres were two games ahead of Arizona, which entered at 86-74 and remained in the Wild Card race.
Canning gives San Diego another arm to evaluate before the postseason roster is finalized. For Mize, however, his first Padres season ends with the ankle injury keeping him out of October.
