The Padres had injury problems during Spring Training, but for the most part it was among position players. The pitching staff, by far the strength of this year's team, has stayed relatively healthy.
That changed in a big way on Saturday. RHP Josh Johnson will miss four to five weeks with a flexor muscle strain in his right forearm (flexor muscles are the ones that help a joint move).
Last year, Johnson missed most of August and all of September with a forearm problem, though it's unknown if this injury is related.
Johnson also needed off-season shoulder surgery and was viewed as a gamble when the Padres signed him to a 1-year, $8 million contract. He was throwing well in Cactus League play, averaging a strikeout per inning over four starts.
Johnson will not throw at all for up to two weeks to let the forearm heal. He'll start the 2014 season on the 15-day Disabled List.
Johnson was scheduled to start Sunday afternoon against the Rangers. Instead, Padres prospect Matt Wisler will take the mound. Wisler, Robbie Erlin, Donn Roach and Jesse Hahn are on the short list of candidates to fill Johnson's rotation spot.
