Ian Kennedy will return from the 15-day DL Saturday to start for the San Diego Padres at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to the Times of San Diego.
Kennedy started the home opener for the Padres on April 9. Unfortunately for the 30-year-old veteran, he had to leave in the middle of the third inning of that game because of pain in his lower back after pulling up lame on a pitch. The injury was actually to his hamstring as he strained it during his 2015 debut.
“Today, it actually feels good to feel a little sore, like, in the arm area,” Kennedy told the U-T San Diego Tuesday in regards to his hamstring after an extended spring training start on Monday. “Feels like I actually did something. I was happy. Especially as (Monday’s) game went on, I felt good.
Kennedy will join a 10-6 Padres team after having no setbacks. Odrisamer Despaigne will be removed from the rotation to make room for Kennedy. Despaigne pitched well in Kennedy’s place, going in 18 and 1/3 with only three runs allowed.
“I think he’s ready,” Padres Manager Bud Black told U-T San Diego on Tuesday.