San Diego continues to add to the record-setting number of pitchers they've deployed this season. So far in September, the Padres have expanded their roster to include RHP Adam Eaton, LHP Kevin Walker, LHP Oliver Perez and RHP Bobby J. Jones.

Eaton has missed the first five months of the season following Tommy John surgery in August of 2001. However, he looked good during his rehab assignment and a few starts this September should help him prepare for next year.

Walker, who also underwent Tommy John surgery last August, attempted to return to San Diego in early August of this year. Unfortunately, he experienced some pain in an area of his elbow not directly related to his surgery and returned to the DL less than two weeks after rejoining the team. He's now ready to try again.

When he joined the team after his first DL trip, the Padres opened Walker's roster spot by placing Oliver Perez on the disabled list due to a strained left shoulder, unsurprising given his somewhat heavy workload. San Diego delayed Perez's return until after roster expansion, but he should now be ready to rejoin the rotation. The organization used the roster spot opened by Walker's return to the DL to promote Jonathan Johnson. Johnson signed a minor league deal with the Padres in late July following his early July release by the Diamondbacks.

Texas drafted Johnson out of Florida State University with the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 1995 draft. Control problems have stunted his progress through the minors prior to this season. However, one of the AAA Portland coaches may have corrected a problem in Johnson's pitching, as after moving from AAA Tucson to Portland, he posted a 17:2 K:BB in 18.2 IP with 14 H and 2 HR after only managing a 27:14 K:BB in 36.1 IP with 48 H and 6 HR allowed at Tucson. The Tucson numbers include 5 starts over 14 appearances while he worked only in relief at Portland, but both teams are in the Pacific Coast League, so the improvement clearly wasn't due to a league change. The 28-year-old righty has carried his newfound success to the majors, compiling an 11:3 K:BB with 6 H and 2 HR allowed in 8 major league innings. Although the homers are troubling, he's certainly earned an extended look.

The Padres' final September call-up also involved an activation from the disabled list. Bobby J. Jones made three fairly short trips to the disabled list this year, first for a strained oblique, then elbow tendinitis, and finally a sore back. At this point, San Diego will likely choose to have their prospects start games and work Jones out of the bullpen. I doubt they plan on picking up his option.

When the Padres activated Bobby J. in mid-July from his second DL trip, he took the roster spot of Kevin Jarvis. Jarvis had already made two trips to the DL, one in late April for a strained flexor tendon in his right elbow, and the second a week after his early May return due to developing tendinitis in the elbow. He'd only been back for around two weeks when the tendinitis forced him to the DL for a third time. The 33-year-old then decided to have Tommy John surgery and likely won't be ready to pitch in the majors again until late next season. However, he's under contract with the Padres through 2004, so they might start him when he returns to improve his trade value.

Mike Bynum replaced Bobby J. on the roster when Jones last went on the DL. The Padres drafted Bynum out of the University of North Carolina with the 19th overall pick in the first round of the 1999 draft. Aside from jumping directly from rookie-ball to A+, he's moved through the minors at a steady pace. Bynum's demonstrated quality skills with only a marginal control problem marring his progress. Although he finished 2000 with AA Mobile in the Southern League and spent all of last season there, Bynum returned to AA to start this year. However, he demonstrated immediate progress, compiling a 29:7 K:BB with 17 H and no homers allowed in 33 IP, prompting his promotion to AAA Portland. Prior to his major league debut, Bynum had a 35:7 K:BB with 36 H and 6 HR allowed in 41 IP at AAA. He made three starts following his call-up, though he appears to have moved to the bullpen for September. The 24-year-old lefty currently has an 11:9 K:BB with 18 H and 2 HR allowed in 19.1 IP. Given the Padres plethora of young starting pitching, I wouldn't be surprised if they sent him to AAA for the first half of next season.

Bobby M. Jones, who the Padres acquired in the Steve Reed trade, went on the DL a few days after Bobby J. Bobby M. was making Bobby J.'s August 16th start in Montreal when Wil Cordero hit a line drive back to the mound that caught Bobby M. in the forearm. He suffered a bruise, leading to his trip to the DL. The Padres released the lefty on September 1st in order to clear room on the 40-man roster. Some team will likely sign the 30-year-old to a minor league deal again next season.

When Bobby M. went on the DL, San Diego filled his roster spot with Dennis Tankersley. Tankersley made one start after his return but has primarily worked in relief, compiling an 8:7 K:BB with 11 H and 3 HR allowed in 9 IP over 4 appearances. Prior to 2002, Tankersley had only made three starts at AAA, and he was pitching at AA when San Diego promoted him in May. Following his demotion, the right-hander made another couple of starts at AA and then moved up to AAA, where he compiled a 51:30 K:BB with 43 H and 6 HR allowed in 51 IP before returning to the majors. Due to the Padres' premature promotion of Tankersley earlier this year, they may want to return him to AAA to start next season, as although his upside remains high, the 23-year-old still seems a bit raw.

San Diego placed Eric Cyr on the disabled list with tendinitis in his left rotator cuff in mid-May. There have been no updates on his condition, but at the beginning of August the Padres removed him from the DL and optioned him to AAA. Cyr compiled a 4:6 K:BB with 6 H allowed in 6 IP in the majors, though his struggles may have been related to his shoulder problem. Provided he's healthy, Cyr will likely begin next season in AAA and join the major league bullpen mid-season, though if San Diego chooses to continue to develop the 23-year-old as a starter, he should probably stay in AAA until September of 2003.

The Padres activated Tom Davey from the disabled list to fill Cyr's roster spot. Davey passed through waivers and accepted a minor league assignment after he was designated for assignment in late May. The extra minor league time evidently allowed him to regain his pre-shoulder surgery skills, as following his return, he compiled an 18:9 K:BB with 15 H and 2 HR allowed in 16 IP, solid skills not reflected in his 5.06 ERA.

San Diego demoted Davey on August 25th in order to open up a roster spot for Clay Condrey. However, Davey will likely rejoin the team on September 6th or when the AAA season ends, whichever is sooner. The Padres signed Condrey a nondrafted free agent out of McNeese State University in 1998. He worked his way through the minors as a reliever at a steady pace, and then San Diego had him start for the first time in his professional career this season. The 26-year-old righty responded with a 73:40 K:BB, 128 H, and 12 HR allowed in 133.2 IP. Given their excess of young starters, the Padres should consider placing Condrey in their major league pen next season as a long reliever and spot starter. His upside isn't as high as their other pitchers, but he might serve them well as an innings-eater.

The Padres sent Kevin Pickford down for four days at the end of June when they activated Mark Sweeney from the DL. Sweeney went on the disabled list in mid-June with a strained oblique, making room on the roster for the Padres waiver acquisition of Eugene Kingsale. Two weeks after Sweeney's return from the DL, the Padres released him in order to clear a roster space for the activation of Phil Nevin from the disabled list in mid-July. Nevin hasn't reported any problems with his shoulder since his return. David Lundquist's trip to the DL allowed Pickford to return to the majors after an unusually brief stay in the minors. Lundquist, who the Padres called up to fill the roster spot of the traded Alan Embree in late June, suffered a strained right shoulder. Although he'd pitched well for them in 2001, the 29-year-old performed poorly for San Diego before his injury, so when Lundquist recovered, the Padres released him to free up a spot on the 40-man, rather than activate him from the DL.

Pickford stayed in the majors for about three weeks before the Padres demoted him in order to promote Jason Kershner. Philadelphia drafted the lefty out of high school in the 12th round of the 1995 draft. Despite some solid skills, the Phillies moved him at a snail's pace through their minors and then didn't add him to their 40-man roster, so he was granted free agency after six years in their minors. San Diego signed Kershner as a minor league free agent this off-season. At Portland this year, he compiled an 83:26 K:BB with 65 H and 8 HR allowed in 86 IP over 12 starts in 31 appearances. In 18.2 IP with the Padres, he allowed 15 H and 2 HR with an 11:10 K:BB. However, San Diego attempted to send the 25-year-old through waivers when they acquired Doug Nickle off waivers from St. Louis last week. Toronto claimed Kershner and activated him with their September call-ups.

San Diego made another waiver claim in late August, grabbing Carlos Garcia from the Dodgers. Garcia missed all of 2001 with a shoulder injury and didn't pitch much in the minors this year, but the 23-year-old righty still has time to re-establish himself and demonstrated strong skills before his injury.

When the Padres traded Middlebrook to the Mets with Steve Reed, Middlebrook had spent most of the previous month on the DL with a strained groin. San Diego called up Mike Holtz to replace him on the roster in early July. The Padres signed Holtz to a minor league contract in mid-June after Oakland released him in early June when they promoted Aaron Harang. Holtz's stats are a lot easier for a team to swallow when they're paying him minimum wage, though he's still receiving almost $1M from the A's.

Finally, in late July San Diego demoted Rodney Myers and called up Brandon Villafuerte. Villafuerte is yet another of the many pitchers who signed minor league deals with the Padres this off-season. He doesn't possess great upside, but the 26-year-old righty has provided San Diego with some solid relief work this year. In 19.1 IP, he has a 17:7 K:BB with 20 H and 2 HR allowed for a 1.86 ERA, proving once again that inexpensive relief help is readily available in the minors for those teams that know where to look.