Padres place Pierce Johnson on IL with triceps injury, select Daniel Camarena

The Padres announced a trio of moves, first and foremost placing right-hander Pierce Johnson on the 10-day injured list with right triceps inflammation. The move is retroactive to June 18. The Padres selected the contract of southpaw Daniel Camarena from Triple-A El Paso to take Johnson’s roster spot.

Camarena has yet to make his major league debut, but he’s likely to do so this weekend, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The now-28-year-old was a drafted out of San Diego area Cathedral Catholic High School in the 20th round by the Yankees way back in 2010.

Camarena’s career took a hit when he missed all of the 2015 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. The 6-foot lefty rehabbed and reached Triple-A in 2016, but he’s been unable to break through. Baseball America had him as the Yankees’ 31st-ranked prospect back in 2017, writing, “Camarena’s fastball typically sits in the low-90s but touched 93 in the middle portion of the season before backing up again as the fatigue from a lost year set in down the stretch. He coupled the fastball with a full off-speed arsenal that included an above-average changeup, a get-me-over curveball and a slider he added this year to give him an extra weapon against righthanders.”

BA pegged him for a back-end rotation arm, but he became a minor league free agent before receiving a big league opportunity in New York. In eight starts with El Paso this season, Camarena finally earned his call-up with a 3.00 ERA in 39 innings, where he has allowed 33 hits and 11 walks while notching 24 strikeouts.

Lastly, recently acquired right-hander Sam McWilliams was also outrighted to Triple-A. The 6-foot-7 McWilliams impressed scouts this past winter, driving a mini-auction for his services. He ultimately signed with the Mets. The well-traveled McWilliams has spent time with Philadelphia, Arizona, Tampa Bay, New York and the Padres, reaching Triple-A with the Rays in 2019. He’s been knocked around at the highest level of the minors this season, giving up 15 earned runs in 12 1/3 innings between the Mets’ and Padres’ Triple-A clubs. Control has been his bugaboo; McWilliams has a 25.4 percent walk rate this season.