News
Gallagher may play role in September
Righty acquired in Hairston deal recovering from knee injury
By Corey Brock / MLB.com
08/19/09 9:20 PM ET
SAN DIEGO -- In a week where the Padres showed off their newest talent, pitcher Sean Gallagher quietly went about his business, pitching a bullpen session in anonymity with little fanfare.But that doesn't mean Gallagher isn't a part of the Padres' future like first-, and second-round Draft picks, prep outfielders Tate Donavan and Everett Williams, who agreed to terms with the team on Monday.
Gallagher, the 23-year-old right-hander, will play a more immediate role in the Padres' plans, possibly as early as September if not Spring Training, when he'll challenge for a spot in the starting rotation for 2010.
Gallagher, who is trying to make his way back from a slight tear in the patella tendon in his left knee, hasn't pitched in a game since June 4 with Sacramento, the A's Triple-A affiliate.
He threw his first bullpen session on Monday and will do so again on Thursday and then on Sunday before heading to Arizona where he'll continue to build his endurance and get stretched out with hopes of joining the Padres next month.
"[There's] nothing in the knee, just rusty for the first time off the mound in over two months," Gallagher said. "I'm just working out all the little kinks to be expected. I'm going to throw my bullpens here and go to Arizona and make a couple of rehab appearances, and hopefully come back here and contribute in some way in September. I felt good."
Gallagher might well have been the player to be named later in the Hairston deal that also landed the Padres two other pitchers, Ryan Webb and Craig Italiano, but he clearly was, as general manager Kevin Towers said, the key to the deal.
Gallagher has a 6-9 record and a 5.90 ERA in 37 Major League games and a 39-17 mark with a 2.73 ERA in 94 Minor League games. He was a 12th-round pick of the Cubs during the 2004 First-Year Player Draft and was a key piece in the '08 trade that sent Rich Harden from the A's to the Cubs.
Gallagher was 1-2 with a 8.16 ERA in six games with Oakland and then 1-0 with a 1.74 ERA in five starts with Sacramento before suffering the knee injury.
"I knew all along at some point I was going to come back this year," Gallagher said. "I'm pretty much right on my goal. I wanted to come back right around this time, and I'm just happy to be coming.
"I'm happy for the opportunity that [Oakland] gave me, and I'm very happy that they were able to include me in this deal and give me another opportunity to start fresh here."
Towers said Wednesday there's a chance the Padres could use Gallagher in September, especially since rookie pitcher Mat Latos is nearing the end of his run and will be shut down in September because of concern over his workload.
Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
