It is, for now, in the little stuff that Wil Myers sees progress.

“I can put my shirt on normally,” Myers said after doing just that on Tuesday night. “I couldn’t do that yesterday. I washed my face normally, which I couldn’t do yesterday. So we’re on to that.”

Perhaps the baby steps of progress can lead to his being back in the lineup soon. The Padres have talked about resting him until the weekend in Houston against the Astros, where he can be the designated hitter against the American League club.

While he first felt a twinge when hitting in the cage before Monday’s game, the greatest discomfort came throwing in from right field.


“I definitely feel some things when I swing,” Myers said. “But I feel I can go out and have a good at-bat.”

Myers left Monday’s game against the Colorado Rockies in the fifth inning with what has since been described as inflammation in his right triceps near the elbow. He sat out the second game of the series on Tuesday. According to both Myers and manager Andy Green, tests revealed no structural damage.

It is at least a hopeful indication that Myers was not immediately placed on the 10-day disabled list. That doesn’t mean he won’t be. It simply means the Padres want to wait as long as possible before sitting down a hitter who has been swinging so well and has three hits in his past five at-bats.

For the progress he felt Tuesday, Myers said, “(Wednesday) will be a bigger opportunity to tell what’s going on.”


Hedges better, hopeful

A balky back is a tricky thing.

Austin Hedges thought he would be able to return to the lineup Tuesday and was, in fact, listed in the first version before being scratched for a second straight day when he felt discomfort throwing.

He did warm up pitcher Tyson Ross before the third inning when his replacement, A.J. Ellis popped out to end the second.

Certainly, there is a big difference between catching warm-ups between innings and being behind the plate for a game. But Hedges confirmed what Green said earlier in the day.


“I could have played today if something bad happened to A.J.,” Hedges said. “I should be ready to go tomorrow.”

Ellis action

Starting back-to-back games for the first time since Sept. 6 and 7 at the end of the 2016 season, Ellis made a prescient mound visit in the sixth inning Tuesday.

“It was perfect timing,” Ross said. “He’s a veteran catcher.”

That is precisely why Ellis is on the team, signed to be Hedges’ backup early in spring training. Still, as Green noted, “You don’t typically see a guy make a 3-0 mound visit.”


With the Padres down 3-2 at the time, Ross had just batted in the bottom of the fifth, reaching first on a fielder’s choice bunt. Admittedly winded, he threw three straight balls to start the leadoff at-bat to Carlos Gonzalez.

That’s when Ellis went to the mound.

“A.J. came out told me to settle in and come back at them,” Ross said. “It was a big out for us.”

Ross, pitching healthy for the first time in two years, struck out Gonzalez and got the next two batters, his last of the night.


“The momentum was swinging back and forth,” Ellis said. “It felt like that was the time to slow things down, give him confidence to get back into it.”

The Padres scored three runs in the bottom of the inning and three more in the seventh and won for the first time in in five games this season.

Ellis, playing his 11th big-league season, will be 37 on Monday. He made 36 starts last season, never on successive days.

“Came to the ballpark today didn’t really know what was going to happen,” Ellis said. “Always come ready to play. You do your routine, get your body moving. The great thing about being the in the big leagues is the way big-league adrenaline takes care of a lot of the aches and pains. Being out there with Tyson was even extra adrenaline – how hard he’s worked and to be a part of his return, getting his first win, getting the team’s first win.”


The last time Ellis started three days in a row was in September 2015.

“Come to the ballpark tomorrow, see how Austin is feeling,” Ellis said. “There is no bigger advocate or fan of his in this clubhouse than I am for him. I just want to be his caddie and watch him play and develop into the all-star caliber catcher I know he can be.”

kevin.acee@sduniontribune.com