Sears sent down, Cortes steps into rotation with sudden surplus

PHOENIX -- The Padres are simply running out of room.

The club announced left-handed pitcher JP Sears was optioned to Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday, one day after a loss to the Diamondbacks in which he allowed 10 hits and five runs while striking out four in five innings. The 29-year-old was acquired from the Athletics on July 31, and started just one game before being sent down.

The Padres recalled right-hander Sean Reynolds from El Paso in a corresponding move.

The timing of Sears’ reassignment coincides with other Padres getting healthy. Righty Michael King, for example, completed a rehab start on Sunday and is nearing a return after being sidelined with a right shoulder/long thoracic nerve injury that has kept him off the mound since May 18.

Manager Mike Shildt said San Diego needs to ensure a healthy-and-effective bullpen. With new arrival Nestor Cortes set to make his Padres debut with a start on Wednesday, there was effectively no more room at the inn.

Something had to give.

“A lot of these moves were in place before the game yesterday, so it wasn’t a reflection of the outing,” Shildt said. “He battled his tail off. He competed very well. That game could have easily gotten away.”

There have been recent murmurs of a potential six-man rotation that would include Sears, King, Cortes, Yu Darvish, Nick Pivetta and Dylan Cease, but Shildt reiterated the club is more concerned about ensuring bullpen depth remains strong.

The 27-year-old Reynolds has appeared in 17 games with San Diego this season and is 0-1 with a 3.97 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 22 strikeouts over 22 2/3 innings. He last appeared in the Majors on June 27 against the Reds.

That type of bullpen reliability is the primary driver for Sears’ demotion, along with starting arms getting healthy all at once.

“Everyone that wants to go to a six-man rotation, and pounds that table, may be a little naive to how bullpens really operate over a 13-game stretch,” Shildt said. “You don’t want to go down a bullpen arm over 13 games and then start to throw guys into areas they don’t even belong.”

Cortes was another deadline deal, acquired from Milwaukee despite making just two starts with the Brewers, back on March 29 and April 3. He’s set to make his first start for the Padres against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday after being activated off the 60-day injured list.

The 30-year-old battled left elbow inflammation, and he said prior to Tuesday’s game against Arizona that he has continued to work on his rehab.

He made two starts with Triple-A Nashville and said he has felt good.

“Hopefully sooner or later, I’m pain free,” he said. “But I do feel like I can do my job at a really high level, and that’s the most important part. My last two outings were really good. I was able to recover really well.”

Still, the door has not slammed on Sears for the remainder of the season. Shildt said whether or not the lefty is recalled likely will be situationally-based, so he will continue to stay fresh until he’s called back up.

“We’re still getting to learn JP, and it’s really unfair to say what he needs to do more or less of,” Shildt said. “Clearly this guy has been a contributing Major League player, and it’s just really the way the roster is set up right now, with the depth of it.”