Padres pitching depth gets a quiet boost as a former top prospect returns

The rust is there. The stuff is there, too. And the Padres will take that.

Scottsdale Scorpions v Peoria Javelinas | Brandon Sloter/GettyImagesSan Diego Padres fans have learned the hard way that “pitching depth” isn’t a buzzword you toss around in February. It’s the whole season. And it can be the difference between surviving a rough stretch and watching your bullpen melt into soup by mid-June. So when a former top prospect like Carson Montgomery pops back up on the mound healthy, it matters, even if it’s happening in the Arizona Fall League and not under the Petco Park lights.

This isn’t a “he’s back to help instantly” comeback story. It’s a “he’s back and alive” kind of story — and…