Some newsy stuff from Monday’s game …

SAN DIEGO — Outfielder Kyle Blanks, the 22-year-old rookie who has impressed during his 54-game stint with the Padres, could be done for the season after it was discovered on Monday that he has a partial tear in his right plantar fascia.

Blanks, hitting .250 with 10 home runs and 22 RBIs, aggravated a previous injury to his plantar fascia, the connective tissue area which supports the arch of the foot, as he rounded the bases after he hit a home run Friday against the Florida Marlins.

The Padres said Monday that Blanks will be fitted for a cast and will be re-evaluated after a week. The team hasn’t said one way or the other if or when Blanks will return. How he heals will determine that.

“I think anything is possible,” Padres manager Bud Black said.

Blanks first injured the arch of his foot on Aug. 22 running the bases. He got one at-bat on Aug. 23, missed two games and then had an at-bat on Thursday. The last setback came the following day against Florida.

“It’s the same sensation, but not quite as bad [as when he previously suffered the injury on Aug. 22] … I already felt the worst I could feel,” Blanks said before Monday’s game against the Nationals. “It kind of sucks.”

Blanks went on the disabled list on Saturday and would be eligible to return on Sept. 12. At that point, the Padres will have 19 remaining games in the regular season.

Blanks didn’t want to concede the season on Monday. He’s still holding out hope that he can return to build toward 2010, when he figures to play a significant role in the Padres plans.

“Ideally, I would like to play as soon as it’s done [time on the disabled list],” Blanks said. “I would like to have it 100 percent instead of trying to fight through it.”

Blanks, a first baseman by trade, has moved to the outfield after being promoted from Triple-A Portland because of two-time All-Star and Gold Glove Award winner Adrian Gonzalez. He has fared well in his 33 games in the outfield.

“I kind of got a good feel for what was going on,” Blanks said when asked if he felt he did enough to put himself in the Padres plans for next season. “I would like to think so.”

Blanks hit .282 with 12 home runs and 38 RBIs in 66 games with Portland before joining the Padres on June 19.

Corey Brock, MLB.com

SAN DIEGO – First-round pick, Donavan Tate, who Monday agreed to a $6.25 million signing bonus, will have his professional career delayed by an abdominal strain.

Grady Fuson, the Padres vice president of player development and scouting, said Tate first complained about a pain in his side on Thursday.

“If it’s not better my Monday, he could return to San Diego for tests,” Fuson said after the Padres lost to the Cardinals, 7-0, at PETCO Park.

Tate was at the Padres Spring Training facility in Peoria, Ariz., in preparation for making his professional debut with the Padres team in the Arizona League.

Tate, who the Padres selected with the third overall pick in the June Draft, signed with the team on Monday, just before the deadline for players selected in the First-Year Player Draft to do so.

The $6.25 million signing bonus was the highest in franchise history for a drafted player.

Corey Brock, MLB.com

A pregame ceremony to honor Padres broadcaster Ted Leitner just concluded here at PETCO Park, with a short speech — well, for Ted it was short! — as well as a nice introduction from his broadcast partner, Jerry Coleman.

Leitner was told he had three minutes for his speech, which prompted him to say “… three minutes? Have you met me? I can’t say hello in three minutes.”

Overall, Leitner is in his 32nd year as a San Diego broadcaster overall and 29th season working alongside Coleman. Leitner’s play-by-play credits include the NFL’s San Diego Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles, the NBA’s San Diego Clippers, the University of Oklahoma, University of Connecticut and his continued work at San Diego State.

Leitner threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Tony Gwynn (son of the Hall of Famer by the same name). Pretty neat scene tonight.

Corey Brock
MLB.com

SAN DIEGO – General manager Kevin Towers said Wednesday that the Padres will take cash considerations, believed to be $100,000, as compensation for the August 7 deal that sent him to the New York Yankees.

The Padres had the option of cash considerations of accepting a player to be named later but had to do so by Sept. 1.

The Padres signed Gaudin to a Minor League contract on April 12 and eventually stuck him in their starting rotation. He went 4-10 with a 5.13 ERA in 20 games, including 19 starts.

The Padres, internally, were said to be split on Gaudin, who showed the ability to miss bats and many liked his strikeout-to-innings ratio (105 strikeouts, 105 1/3 innings). But he struggled mightily in the second half, going 0-4 in his last seven starts with the team.

Gaudin is 1-0 in three games with the Yankees with a 2.35 ERA. He allowed one hit in 4 1/3 innings in his first start with New York on Wednesday in Oakland and didn’t allow a run. But he walked five and had five strikeouts and didn’t get a decision.

Towers and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman talked about Gaudin before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline but Towers found himself swamped with the Jake Peavy trade to the White Sox that happened minutes before the Trade Deadline.

Right-handed pitcher Cesar Carrillo replaced Gaudin in the starting rotation. Carrillo, who was the Padres first-round Pick in 2005 out of the University of Miami, earned his first Major League victory on Monday against the Chicago Cubs.

Corey Brock
MLB.com

Nice to be back at PETCO Park tonight after two days off, including a travel day back from St. Louis. Here’s some Padres reading to bring you up to speed.

Corey

Not only did first-round pick Donavan Tate sign for $6.25 million, but he took batting practice at PETCO on Tuesday.Second-round pick Everett Williams also signed Monday and was here at PETCO on Wednesday to take batting practice.

The Padres have a trio of players up for the Hank Aaron Award. How about the month Adrian Gonzalez is having?

Minor League pitcher Simon Castro threw a no-hitter for Fort Wayne on Tuesday. If you get a chance, check out the TinCaps overall record this season. Wow.

Don’t be surprised if pitcher Sean Gallagher, the key piece in the Scott Hairston trade with the A’s last month, gets in a few innings before the season is over.

Edgar Gonzalez started a Minor League rehab stint on Wednesday with Class A Lake Elsinore. He’ll play 10 or so games there before returning in September.

Corey Brock
MLB.com

Greetings from St. Louis again today where the Padres play the second game of a three-game series against the Cardinals here in a few hours.

As we get close to the Aug. 17 deadline for draft picks to sign, I assume we’ll hear all sorts of rumors about players agreeing to deals, some that pan out and others that don’t.

Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus, on his Twitter account (@kingclip) said this afternoon that he has “reason to believe Donavan Tate has signed with the Padres for $6.5 million. That sounds about right from everyone I’ve talked to.

General manager Kevin Towers told me earlier, via text, that it’s “not a done deal. Still working on it.” So that’s not a flat denial, meaning something could break today or, at the very least on or by Monday.

In other words, the Padres, who have yet to sign their first, second and fourth-round draft picks, will sign Tate, the athletic outfielder from Georgia who earlier this week left football practices at the University of North Carolina, presumably, to prepare to get a deal done.

As for second-round pick, outfielder Everett Williams, the website BurntOrangeBeat.com is saying he’ll sign with the Padres on or before Aug. 17. Fourth-round pick, pitcher Keyvius Sampson, is also expected to sign and may be the first of the three to do so.

Anyway, as always, we’ll have the updates on Padres.com and Twitter.

Corey Brock
MLB.com

Found out late last night that catcher Nick Hundley, who hasn’t played a game since June 17 because of a small fracture of the ulna bone near his left wrist, will join the Padres later today here in Milwaukee.

Hundley played for Triple-A Portland on Tuesday in Albuquerque and went 4-for-16 in five rehab games with the Beavers. He could play as soon as today, though it will more likely be Thursday when he’ll catch Cesar Carrillo, who will be making his Major League debut.

Hundley was hitting .236 with three home runs and 11 RBIs in 41 games before the injury. I assume the corresponding roster move will be to send catcher Eliezer Alfonzo to Portland with Hundley sharing time with veteran Henry Blanco.

As always, we’ll have all your Padres news at Padres.com later today from Milwaukee. And remember, the place to check for breaking Padres news is at twitter.com/followthepadres.

Cheers, Corey Brock
MLB.com
 

Greetings from Milwaukee, where Kevin Kouzmanoff and David Eckstein started the day leading the Major Leagues at their respective positions in fielding percentage. Here’s a look at my story on Kouzmanoff’s defense improvement since coming to the Padres before the 2007 season.

Kevin Kouzmanoff, Gold Glove candidate? The number of errors and fielding percentage the Padres’ third baseman has in 2009 certainly show that he should be, at the very least, in the discussion for the holy grail of awards for fielders.

Kouzmanoff’s manager, Bud Black, agreed Tuesday with the assertion that Kouzmanoff is having, by far, his best defensive season since coming to the Padres during the winter of 2006 from the Cleveland Indians.

“Absolutely,” Black said when asked if he thought Kouzmanoff was playing Gold Glove caliber defense. “We’re seeing every play is being made … and by that I mean the ball in the hole he’s making, the ball down the line, the chopper he has to charge and take with his bare hand, the throw to second on a double play, the throws from different angles … he’s making them all.”

Kouzmanoff went into Monday’s game against the Brewers at Miller Park with the best fielding percentage of any Major League third baseman (.988) and the fewest errors (3). That’s an improvement from what Black considered a good defensive showing by his third baseman last season when Kouzmanoff ranked third in the National League in fielding percentage (.974, 13 errors).

“I think there’s room for improvement,” Kouzmanoff said. “I’ve come a long ways from where I was, but I’m not satisfied.”

This from a player who ranked 12th among NL third basemen in 2007, his first full year with the Padres, in fielding percentage (.932). Kouzmanoff had 22 errors in his rookie season, which didn’t dispel the notion that defense was his obvious weakness when the Padres traded Josh Barfield to the Indians for him.

“I’m very proud of him. He takes a lot of pride in what he’s doing out there and he really wants to take that part of his game to another level,” said Padres third-base coach Glenn Hoffman, who works with the Padres infielders. “He wants to be in the right position, his reactions are good.

“It’s just fun to watch the way he’s progressed. I think it’s the throwing … the accuracy end of it is where he’s improved most. The quickness when he gets off-balance, he’s still able to make that throw.”

Kouzmanoff, who entered Monday’s game hitting .246 with 14 home runs and 60 RBIs, said he considers his defense as equally important than anything he does at the plate even if, from a fan perspective at least, defense often takes a backseat to offense.

“I’m happy it’s improved. I want to help the team and help the pitchers out. That’s our job, to play defense. I do like Glenn [Hoffman]; he’s a great resource,” Kouzmanoff said. “It’s important to have both sides of the game. If I’m not hitting, at least I can play defense. You can’t take your offense with you on the field.”

Cheers, Corey
MLB.com, Padres. com

This is from a story I wrote on Sunday about second baseman David Eckstein, who had the chance to be traded on or about July 31 to the Twins, but told general manager Kevin Towers that he wanted to remain in San Diego to provide leadership to a young team.

What are your thoughts on Eckstein? He’s been very good in the clubhouse, I’ve been told, and when healthy, he’s been good on the field and the offense seems to tick better with him in the lineup.

SAN DIEGO — It was on or about the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline when San Diego general manager Kevin Towers was queried by the Minnesota Twins if veteran infielder David Eckstein was available.

Towers’ first inclination was to decline such an overture, given everything that Eckstein has meant to the Padres this season, on and off the field. But he called Eckstein anyway.

“I just wanted to see where his head was,” Towers said. “I felt as if I owed it to him. If he felt like he wanted to go to a contending club with a chance to win, I would do everything to make that happen.”

Towers was more than relieved when Eckstein, 34, said he wanted to stay in San Diego.

“He told me he enjoyed playing here in San Diego, likes the young players and likes the challenge,” Towers said.

Eckstein echoed those sentiments this week, saying his reasons for wanting to remain in San Diego were because of the challenge of helping mold a young team and being a part of something that’s growing, not something that’s on the decline.

“I’ve been through a lot of stages in my career, having been on teams that won, on teams that were supposed to win, teams that are young,” Eckstein said. “But knowing the direction this club is going, I want to be a part of that.

“I want to be a guy who can help these young guys out. I don’t think this club is as far off as some people think. They’ve got to learn how to play the game the right away, because next year, there’s not going to be any excuses. These guys are starting to step up.”

That’s been reflected in the Padres’ play of late, as San Diego had won nine of its past 12 games, including a 6-3 mark on a homestand that concludes with Sunday’s game against the New York Mets at PETCO Park.

As Eckstein said, it’s not about money for him at this point in a career that has seen him be a part of two World Series champions (2002 with the Angels and 2006 with the Cardinals) and two All-Star teams (2005-06).

For Eckstein, it’s about serving a greater cause, being able to show young players on the roster — like rookies Everth Cabrera, Will Venable, Kyle Blanks and the handful of other 20-something players in the clubhouse — how to play the game the right way and providing leadership, something the Padres have lacked since the departure of Trevor Hoffman.

“Watching what Darin Erstad did [in Anaheim], the way he molded the young guys, how he taught them the right way to play this game, I saw how that helped,” Eckstein said. “… We’ve got a bunch of young guys here who want to get better. Playing alongside a guy like Everth, that inspires you.”

Cheers, Corey Brock
MLB.com 

It’s beginning to look like pitcher Chris Young, on the disabled list since June 15 with what is being called a strained shoulder strain, could be done for 2009.

San Diego manager Bud Black said before Saturday’s game against the Mets that “I think there’s a window … but it’s closing quickly” as far as getting Young back and ready to pitch at the Major League level prior to to end of the regular season.

“The big issue is soreness,” Black said in regards to Young’s right shoulder. He hasn’t been able to throw since a side session in early July.

Black said Young has had multiple MRI’s that haven’t showed any structural damage. There’s bursitis in the shoulder and an impingement that hasn’t sufficiently healed to the point where Young is pain-free and can resume pitching.

The thought is that even if Young were cleared to start a throwing program, say, today, he would have to build up his arm strength to get him ready for a Minor League rehab stint and since most Minor League seasons end in three or so weeks, there would be no place other than extended Spring Training for him to go.

Plus, given the Padres entered play Saturday 19 games under .500, the thinking internally is it wouldn’t be the worst idea to shut him down, allow the shoulder to heal and get him ready for Spring Training.

At the time Young went on the disabled list, he was 4-6 with a 5.21 ERA in 14 starts.

Cheers, Corey Brock
MLB.com