Padres make four pitching-related roster moves

The Padres made four pitching moves Saturday, including the activation of left-hander Tom Cosgrove from the 15-day injured list, per a team announcement. San Diego also called up right-hander Pedro Avila from Triple-A, while optioning southpaw Ray Kerr to Triple-A and placing righty Drew Carlton the 15-day IL due to right elbow inflammation.

Carlton signed a minor league contract during the offseason and was promoted to San Diego’s active roster in the middle of May. Pitching mostly in multi-inning relief situations, Carlton has a 4.35 ERA, 21.2% strikeout rate and 7.1% walk rate over 20 2/3 frames. That ERA took a hit in Friday’s game, as Carlton allowed three runs (two earned) in two-thirds of an inning, including a walkoff homer from the Reds’ Spencer Steer. It isn’t known whether Carlton’s elbow issue developed during the game, or if he was trying to pitch through some soreness.

Cosgrove returns from the IL after missing only the minimum 15 days with a strained left hamstring. A 12th-round pick for the Padres in the 2017 draft, the 27-year-old made his MLB debut this season and has made a very solid impression in his first 17 innings in the Show. Cosgrove has a tiny 0.53 ERA and 3.4% walk rate, as well as a solid 25.9% strikeout rate. His SIERA is naturally higher (3.00), as Cosgrove has a perfect 100% strand rate and he has benefited from a .158 BABIP. Still, it’s not a bad showing at all for a pitcher who wasn’t really on the radar for a call-up heading into 2023, but Cosgrove has pitched well enough to retain his spot in the Padres’ bullpen.