Michael Wacha Injury Update: Health status and recovery time for Padres pitcher placed on IL

San Diego Padres pitcher Michael Wacha has been placed on the 15-day IL retroactive to July 2. The hard-throwing righty is dealing with right shoulder inflammation.

This has been something Wacha has been dealing with for a while now. He had a start skipped in late June due to a sore shoulder. He's performed well this season, and San Diego does not want to lose him for a long period.

The team called up Jose Castillo, Matt Waldron and Matthew Batten from El Paso in a corresponding move. Domingo Tapia was optioned to El Paso, and Nelson Cruz was designated for assignment.

This is quite the shuffle for a team searching for answers, specifically on offense. Consistent hitting has been hard to come by for the Padres. San Diego is 39-46 and sits fourth in the National League West.

Michael Wacha has been one of the bright spots for San Diego

Kansas City Royals v San Diego Padres

So far this season, Michael Wacha has compiled an 8-2 record with a 2.84 ERA and 73 strikeouts on 85.2 innings pitched. He's carrying the momentum he had built from last season when he was a member of the Boston Red Sox.

In 2021, Wacha had one of the best seasons of his career. He went 11-2 with a 3.32 ERA and 104 strikeouts on 127.1 innings pitched. He became the ace of the rotation.

Wacha relies on five pitches to get the job done. The righty throws his changeup more than any other pitch. He follows that up with a four-seam fastball, cutter, sinker, and curveball.

He's found something that has worked recently and has stuck with it. Wacha's barrel percentage is down 2.2 percent from last season. The San Diego Padres will need him on the mound if they want a shot at turning around their poor play.