Padres Ace to Return After Missed Season

Chris Young will be back in the San Diego Padres' rotation on Saturday night at St. Louis after being sidelined for more than five months by a strained right shoulder.
     
The 6-foot-10 Young returns to action as the Padres struggle to retain the NL West lead. He made one start this season before going on the disabled list April 12.
     
The Padres go into Thursday night's series opener at St. Louis with a one-half game lead over San Francisco. The Friars have been going through a very rough stretch, struggling to put together six wins in their last 10 outings, rebounding from a stretch when they lost 10 in a row at one point.
     
Young is coming off three rehab starts in the minor leagues. On Saturday night, he allowed three hits in 5 2/3 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and one walk for Class A Lake Elsinore.The day after that start, Young said he felt good enough to pitch again in the big leagues. Manager Bud Black agreed, making it official on Thursday.
     
Young had arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder in August 2009.
     
He made a sparkling season debut on April 6, allowing one hit through six innings in a 6-3 win at Arizona. But he felt tightness in his shoulder and went on the DL six days later.
     
Young has had a serious injury each season since 2008, when he was hit in the face by an Albert Pujols line drive at Petco Park.
     
The pitcher remains the only Padres pitcher to win a postseason game since 1998. With the Padres trailing the Cardinals 2-0 in the 2006 division series, he threw 6 2-3 shutout innings in Game 3 at Busch Stadium as the Padres won 3-1. The Padres were eliminated the next day.