Mike Clevinger’s new contract comes with brutal injury update

The San Diego Padres announced a new contract for Mike Clevinger

But that wasn’t the only Clevinger update on Monday. While it’d been known for several days that the Padres trade acquisition was going to sign a lucrative, yet short-term deal to stay with the team for the time being, his injury designation is new and damning.

Clevinger will undergo Tommy John surgery on Tuesday. The typical recovery time for such a treatment is usually up to a full season, if not more. The Padres acquired Clevinger at midseason for a package that included Josh Naylor, Austin Hedges, Cal Quantrill, Gabriel Arias and two minor leaguers. It cost the Padres dearly, as they went all-in to make the postseason for the first time since 2006. After defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in the Wild Card series, they met their match in the Los Angeles Dodgers, and lost via a three-game sweep.

Without Clevinger, the Padres will need to make a move to help their rotation this offseason

San Diego’s rotation has plenty of young talent in Chris Paddock and Dinelson Lamet, among others. Without Clevinger, the only real veteran that remains is Zach Davies.

Clevinger didn’t play a role in the Padres playoff run, as he was injured before the postseason began. Still, he was quickly becoming the unquestioned ace of this staff, posting a 2-1 record paired with an ERA under three in his short stint in San Diego. When on, Clevinger is one of the better pitchers in the National League with All-Star potential.

After a brief and very publicized battle with COVID-19, his unceremonious exit from Cleveland left many pundits questioning if he had the maturity level to reach his full potential. We got a glimpse of what that might be in four starts with the Padres.

Sadly, it’s unlikely we’ll see much of him in the 2021 season.