Mike Clevinger set to undergo MRI after leaving Wednesday start

The San Diego Padres’ ace is undergoing an MRI with the postseason just around the corner.

With MLB‘s regular season set to reach its conclusion this Sunday, teams who have clinched a berth can ill-afford to suffer any injuries. Unfortunately for the San Diego Padres, they were dealt a pretty significant blow on Wednesday.

Padres manager Jayce Tingler announced that starting pitcher Mike Clevinger is set to undergo an MRI after complaining of biceps tightness during Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels, forcing him to exit after one inning. This happened to be the very same reason why Clevinger was scratched from his initial start on Sunday.

Mike Clevinger’s injury comes at worst possible time for Slam Diego

While the Padres are hoping for the best, they are afraid that Clevinger could be out for the remainder of the year. According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Padres fear that the right-hander could be diagnosed with a muscle strain or tendinitis, both of which would effectively knock Clevinger out for the postseason.

This is far from what the Padres expected to happen upon acquiring Clevinger. Back on the Aug. 31 trade deadline, San Diego made it be known that its championship contention window was wide open. After acquiring virtually every available player on the trade block, the Padres made one final splash by trading six players to the Cleveland Indians for Clevinger.

The long-haired starter pitched in three games in a Padres uniform, where he recorded a 3.00 ERA and 0.944 WHIP while striking out 17 batters in 18 innings of work.

If Clevinger is determined to be out for the remainder of the season, the Padres will have to move forward with their pitching rotation of Dinelson Lamet, Chris Paddack and Zach Davies in October. Until then, San Diego will be keeping their fingers crossed tonight, hoping that Clevinger’s injury isn’t too serious.