Bradgley

Rodriguez

Hart’s removal from San Diego’s relief mix seems to signal that Yuki Matsui and rookie Bradgley Rodriguez are going to make the club’s postseason roster.

The 21-year-old hurler will return to add a fresh arm to the Padres’ bullpen. Rodriguez made one appearance with the Padres back in June where he fired 1 2/3 scoreless innings with one strikeout. He’ll give manager Mike Shildt another weapon to deploy in the middle innings.

Rodriguez returns to the minors after tossing 1 2/3 scoreless innings over the weekend against the Pirates in his big-league debut. The 21-year-old righty was promoted directly from Double-A San Antonio after 18 strong relief appearances. He figures to return at some point later this summer.

The 21-year-old phenom didn’t have much left to prove in the minor leagues after registering a 3.22 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and a 31/5 K/BB ratio over 22 1/3 innings in 18 appearances at Double-A San Antonio. He could wind up being a major weapon out of the Padres’ bullpen, though he’ll probably have to work his way up into a high leverage role. Kyle Hart was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move on Friday.

Already having emerged as a fine relief prospect last year, Rodriguez has halved his walk rate in Double-A this season, giving him a 31/5 K/BB to go along with a 3.22 ERA in 22 1/3 innings. He might not be ready for the majors just yet, but he’s a talent.

Rodriguez allowed two runs in four innings and had a 4/0 K/BB this spring. Purely a relief prospect, he had a 2.64 ERA and a 75/31 K/BB in 61 1/3 innings at three levels as a 20-year-old last season.