Jason Adam Suffers Serious Injury and Leaves the Padres in Trouble
San Diego Padres reliever Jason Adam suffered a left quadriceps tendon rupture and had to leave the field on Monday, representing a tough blow to the Padres’ dominant bullpen. The injury occurred in the seventh inning of the 4-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. Adam, one of the team’s several All-Star relievers, mentioned that he needs to undergo an MRI to confirm it, but “that sounds like six or nine months, so the season is probably over.” This injury comes at a crucial moment, as the Padres chase the Los Angeles Dodgers, leaders of the National League West. The loss left the Padres 2.5 games behind the Dodgers, who were inactive. San Diego occupies the second wild card spot in the National League. The Padres became the first Major League team to send three relievers to the All-Star Game when Adam, closer Robert Suárez, and lefty Adrián Morejón were selected for the Midsummer Classic. Among the acquisitions of the general manager A.J. Preller’s trade deadline was Mason Miller, from the Athletics, who was an All-Star in 2024.Adam collapsed while trying to turn towards Gunnar Henderson’s hit, which bounced off the mound for an infield single. Immediately, Adam signaled to the athletic trainer and grabbed his left knee. After receiving attention from the trainers, Adam was helped to get up and put on a cart, with his left leg resting on the seat. The cameras captured Adam saying that “he felt something break”. “I felt the snap immediately, I felt the quad roll up, so I knew it wasn’t good,” Adam said. “At first I felt pain and then you react and say, ‘Hey, do we get the out?’ And then, you’re just waiting to know how long.” Adam (8-4) took the loss. He has an ERA of 1.93 in 65 appearances. The score was tied at 3 when Henderson’s hit put runners on first and second. Adam was replaced by Suárez, who got the second out of the inning before allowing Dylan Beavers’ single that gave the lead. Miller called Adam’s injury “really heartbreaking.”“I told A.J., I’m so glad you went to get Mason,” Adam said, who was on crutches and with his left leg in a big brace when he spoke to reporters. “That’s all I’ve really processed. This bullpen is really deep. Of all the bullpens in the league that don’t need me, it’s this one. So I’m excited to cheer those guys on. It’s a family in there, so I’m excited.”
Jason Adam
Starting pitcher Dylan Cease commented: “He seems to pitch every day. It’s been incredible. It’s terrible to watch.” The Padres manager, Mike Shildt, called Adam “a true workhorse” who has “gotten us some big outs.” Shildt also said that Adam is a leader in the clubhouse.“You hate to see someone go down for something, especially something like that. It’s a quirk of baseball, a slow-hit ball like that. It’s nothing he did, just his instincts taking over,” Miller said. “In his absence, guys will have to step up and fill that role. We certainly have guys like that.”
Mason Miller
“We have a great clubhouse. We have great guys. I love him to death. Jason is as solid a guy as anyone. He’s very respected and means a lot to us. We’ll miss him, and we’ll have to figure it out,” Shildt said.
Mike Shildt
