News
Padres' Gallagher ready for rehab stint
Newly acquired righty set to debut with club this month
By Corey Brock / MLB.com
09/01/09 10:50 PM ET
SAN DIEGO -- The Padres figured to give several new pitchers innings in the final month of the season, some who have already worn a San Diego jersey, some who have not made their Major League debut and others who are new to the organization. Right-hander Sean Gallagher belongs to the latter group. He was one of the three pitchers the Padres added in the July 5 trade that sent outfielder Scott Hairston to the A's. Gallagher is on track to make his Padres debut in September, but not before making two rehabilitation appearances with Triple-A Portland, with the first possibly coming Friday. 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. Gallagher has thrown several bullpen sessions at PETCO Park and at the Padres' Spring Training facility in Arizona. "He finished his rehab today, and that was the final step before [his rehab stint]," Padres manager Bud Black said. "He's physically recovered." Gallagher was the "player to be named" in the Hairston deal that also landed two other pitchers in Ryan Webb and Craig Italiano, but Gallagher 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 the Cubs' 12th-round pick in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft and was a key piece in the '08 trade that sent Rich Harden from Oakland to Chicago. Gallagher was 1-2 with an 8.16 ERA in six games with the A's and then 1-0 with a 1.74 ERA in five starts with Sacramento before suffering the knee injury. Black said that Gallagher will be used as a reliever in Portland and when he comes to San Diego, to begin with, throwing one inning or possibly two innings each time out.Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
