As he watched Sunday’s seventh-inning madness unfold at Dodger Stadium from his living room in Arizona, Sean Reynolds did jumping jacks.
He was, he admitted, ready to throw his remote through his TV while he watched “all the boys go off.”
Some 20 hours later, the 6-foot-8 right-hander was still sweating profusely in the home clubhouse at Petco Park following an aggressive, 20-pitch simulated game.
The 26-year-old rookie sprained his left knee while chasing down a loose ball late in the season at Triple-A El Paso. He pitched in the final game of the minor-league season and on Monday threw his fourth simulated inning while sporting a new brace beneath his full, pinstriped Padres uniform.
The first three took place at the Padres’ minor league complex in Peoria, Ariz.; the latest occurred in mostly empty big-league stadium after Padres manager Mike Shildt told reporters in the fourth-floor conference room that “all options are on the table at this point” for Wednesday’s Game 4.
That means Dylan Cease could come back on three days’ rest after throwing just 82 pitches on Saturday in Game 1.
Left-hander Martín Pérez remains part of the 13-man pitching staff and served the rotation well after the trade deadline, posting a 3.46 ERA over 10 starts.
Then there’s the idea that the Padres just might match the Dodgers’ plans for an all-hands-on-deck game, with Reynolds as a potential ace up the sleeve in some capacity if there is reason (an injury to another pitcher that has not been revealed) to add him to the roster.
Acquired in the deal that sent Ryan Weathers to the Marlins last year, Reynolds has struck out 21 against five walks over 11 innings (0.82 ERA) while getting his first taste of the majors this season.
Armed with a four-seamer that approaches triple digits and a hard slider as his primary breaking ball, Reynolds recorded as many as eight outs in a game in the majors this season, went as long as 3⅔ innings with El Paso and recorded more than three outs 17 times between the majors and minors this year.
Then there’s this data point: The Dodgers have not seen Reynolds.
As for the specific plan for him, all Reynolds knew about his San Diego itinerary was that he was here to experience the environment, as knuckleballer Matt Waldron has.
That his left knee is in shape — brace and all — is a win for a pitcher who at one point thought the sprain might end his season.
“It would mean everything,” Reynolds said. “That’s why you play the game. That’s why you wake up at 5 a.m. in the offseason and go get after it in early mornings and late nights. … There’s nothing better than postseason baseball, as cliche as it is. Like there’s really nothing better than competing for the ultimate prize. So yeah, if I do end up getting added in the next couple rounds, then I’ll be ready to go, dude.”
Bogaerts update
Shortstop Xander Bogaerts did not participate in an optional, light workout on Monday afternoon at Petco Park and did not stop at his locker during the open clubhouse session to provide an update on the hamstring cramping that forced him from Game 2 after his eighth-inning homer.
Shildt, however, said the team was optimistic about Bogaerts’ availability.
“There was still a little bit of dehydration,” Shildt said. “ … We don’t feel there’s anything that’s going to compromise him. We’ll find out more today after he gets treatment, but we’re optimistic.”
Bogaerts addressed his exit late Sunday night in the visiting clubhouse at Dodger Stadium.
“Just cramps,” Bogaerts said. “It’s crazy. The last time I got cramps in my hamstring was here (in the) World Series, the 18-inning game. … Normally I get cramps in my calves — a night game and then the day game after. This time was my hamstring, and I was not feeling right.”
Notable
- Outfielder Jackson Merrill was named a finalist for the 2024 Hank Aaron Award, bestowed each year to the most outstanding offensive performer in each league. In the NL, Merrill is up against the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, the Mets’ Francisco Lindor, the Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte, the Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, the Braves’ Marcell Ozuna, the Brewers’ William Contreras and the Reds’ Elly De La Cruz.
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