Just one start into his tenure with the San Diego Padres, JP Sears is headed back to the minors.
The San Diego Padres announced on Tuesday that they’ve optioned Sears to Triple-A El Paso following a rocky debut against the St. Louis Cardinals. In a corresponding move, the club recalled reliever Sean Reynolds and will operate with a nine-man bullpen for the time being.
On the surface, this looks like a reactionary move. Sears gave up five runs on 10 hits and a walk across five innings in Monday’s loss, striking out four and showing little of the upside the Padres were hoping for when they acquired him from the Athletics at the trade deadline.