Monday night in Major League Baseball brought some tough news out of Camden Yards. San Diego Padres reliever Jason Adam went down with what appeared to be a freak injury, and it’s as bad as it looked. After collapsing on the mound against the Orioles, Adam had to be carted off, and manager Mike Shildt confirmed afterward that the 34-year-old right-hander suffered a ruptured quad tendon. In Shildt’s words, it’s “serious” and “not overly positive.”
The scene was alarming. Adam threw a pitch, immediately crumpled to the ground, and stayed down in visible pain. Trainers rushed in, and at one point, Adam was overheard telling the staff he “heard something pop.” For any athlete, that’s a phrase you never want to hear. Moments later, he was helped onto a cart, leaving teammates and fans stunned.
Padres Bullpen’s Backbone
This isn’t just another injury for San Diego, it’s a major blow. Adam has been lights out all season, one of the most reliable arms in Shildt’s bullpen. Across 64 appearances, he’s logged a 1.84 ERA with 69 strikeouts in 64 2/3 innings. In a year where consistency has been hard to come by for the Padres, Adam has been that steady hand late in games.
Now, with his season almost certainly over, the Padres suddenly have a gaping hole in the back end of their bullpen — and this comes just as the postseason race tightens.
There’s no sugarcoating it: losing Adam is a massive setback for San Diego. The veteran reliever had been one of the brightest spots on the roster, and now Shildt will have to reshuffle the late-inning formula on the fly.
