Everything was virtually all set for the Padres when a healthy spring went suddenly bad in their final Cactus League game.

But apparently not as bad as it might have been.

Dinelson Lamet, scheduled to start the team’s second game of the regular season and considered possibly its best starting pitcher, left Sunday’s spring training contest with pain in his right (throwing) elbow.

A source said Sunday night the Padres expect Lamet to only miss “minimal time” but still expressed concern due to the nature of elbow injuries. It is not believed there is structural damage, but Lamet will start the season on the disabled list. The hope is he will miss only the season’s first month.


“Usually, you walk off the mound, your elbow hurts, it’s not a good thing,” manager Andy Green said immediately after the game. “… We’re hopeful it’s not too bad.”

The 25-year-old Lamet, who dazzled at times in his rookie season, has the Padres excited for what they believe is on the horizon.

“We have a guy in here that has Cy Young potential in Lamet,” outfielder Wil Myers said recently, unprompted. “I feel like he could be a guy who surprises a lot of people this year. He’s electric. He’s a big dude. He has a presence on the mound. He’s not afraid to go at people. That is the DNA you want in an ace. I think he can take steps in becoming that guy. He’s got great stuff. I’m really excited to see him pitch this year.”

Lamet felt the twinge on his “last or second-to-last pitch,” Green said.


He had made it through six batters, recording four outs. His command and velocity had waned, if only immediately before he left. The last two batters he faced got line-drive hits. Where he was routinely hitting 95 mph with his fastball in the first inning, his final pitch was clocked at 93.

While it had been known for some time that Lamet would be featured in the rotation and his throwing days lined up for a Friday start against the Brewers, Green had just made the order official Sunday morning. Clayton Richard will start opening day and was to be followed by Lamet with Luis Perdomo pitching Saturday’s series finale.

Now the Padres will have to alter their plans.

They could move Bryan Mitchell or Tyson Ross up from a projected Monday/Tuesday start or insert Chris Young or Robbie Erlin in Lamet’s turn. While the team sent down left-handed prospect Joey Lucchesi on Saturday, primarily in order to delay the start of his service clock, Green said he was “fairly certain” Lucchesi would be discussed as an option as well.


“There’s a little bit of flexibility,” Green said. “… A lot of guys could fit in.”

The team has an off day Sunday, so Richard could be ready to go again on Tuesday if Mitchell or Ross is moved into Lamet’s spot.

The worry is more long-term.

“Any time you pull one of your main guys out of a game at any time in spring training, its concerning,” Green said. “The last tune-up of spring training, it’s very concerning. We’d love to have him. He’s a big part of what we plan on doing.”


Losing Lamet for any time would be a big blow for the Padres, who saw signs this spring he was taking steps toward realizing the potential obvious in him during his 21 starts in 2017.

He had developed a curve to go along with his biting slider and a mid-to-high-90s fastball.

“I don’t know if he’s nastier,” catcher Austin Hedges said this week. “He’s just nasty. I think he’s got an idea he can dominate at the big league level, and that mentality is different. Last year he was just a guy we called up and a guy we could throw out every fifth day and we had a good guy. Now it’s a guy we want to throw out every fifth day, and we expect to win, expect him to dominate. If he’s facing Clayton Kershaw, we have a chance to win this game. I’ll throw him against anybody and be like, ‘We can win this game.’ ”

Lamet had a 4.57 ERA in 2017. He went five innings, allowing three hits and one run while striking out eight in his major league debut on May 25 in New York. In a 10-start stretch from late July to mid-September, he had a 2.44 ERA over 59 innings.


His 21 starts did not qualify him to be included in the final MLB statistical rankings, but his 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings would have ranked sixth behind Chris Sale, Robbie Ray, Max Scherzer, Corey Kluber and Chris Archer.

Not only was he throwing well the past month, Lamet was carrying himself like a top-flight pitcher and not shying from expressing his intentions.

“I always consider myself a No.1 starter,” Lamet said this week. “That’s the mentality I had when I came here.”

kevin.acee@sduniontribune.com


UPDATES:

6:30 p.m.: Story updated citing source saying Lamet will miss “minimal time.”

6:50 p.m.: Story updated to reflect reporting that Lamet be placed on disabled list to start the season.