Dinelson Lamet’s unplanned exit is really bad sign for Padres

The San Diego Padres were stoked to welcome Dinelson Lamet back to the mound, only to have his season debut spoiled by another injury issue.

It’s amazing how quickly a sunny day at the ballpark can suddenly turn gloomy.

Welcome to the life of a San Diego Padres fan on Wednesday.

Pitcher Dinelson Lamet finally made it back from the UCL injury that sidelined him in 2020, only to come off the mound after throwing 29 pitches.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the result of limits put on Lamet’s return. The Padres officially blamed “right forearm tightness” for his departure.

Dinelson Lamet’s triumphant return was cut short

“Tightness” is as good an early diagnosis as San Diego could have hoped for, but it’s still a major worry. It could mean anything, whether the team is masking a bigger problem Lamet just picked up or if this is related to his prior injury.

The fact of the matter is, Lamet couldn’t finish his first start in seven months. The delay in seeing him back in full form is a bummer.

For what it’s worth, he looked good in two innings pitched. He allowed a hit to start but struck out four batters. His slider was gnarly as ever.

Last season, Lamet had an ERA of 2.09 in 12 starts and finished fourth in Cy Young voting. His injury kept him out of the playoffs.

The best-case scenario is that this is a minor setback. Maybe he just needs a little more time to get his arm right. The worst-case scenario is another extended layoff.

The timing couldn’t be worse since the Padres just lost Adrian Morejon to Tommy John surgery. The sooner they can get Lamet healthy and rolling, the better. Who knows when that will be now.