San Diego Padres reliever Craig Stammen’s career appears to be over following his latest shoulder injury.
The 39-year-old right-hander sustained a torn capsule and strained muscle in his throwing shoulder Friday.
The injuries are related to the torn rotator cuff that the 13-year veteran sustained in 2022.
“Without saying that I’m done, it’s highly unlikely that I pitch again,” Stammen told the San Diego Union-Tribune on Sunday.
The recovery time for his latest injury is four to six months without surgery.
Stammen appeared in five games this spring, allowing one hit in four scoreless innings with two strikeouts.
“I’m fighting back tears talking to certain people,” Stammen said when discussing the potential end to his career. “But I feel really at peace. I kind of knew this was a possibility last year, even in July. I kind of went through the whole grieving process. Even the last game of the season, I was like, ‘This could be my last game ever.’ So I went through all that kind of stuff. So this isn’t as much of a shock as what it could be.
“And I have a strong faith and (am) grounded in that and know that the keys to the rest of my life are in greater hands than my own. So kind of looking forward to what that might entail, and I think there’s big things ahead. So even though the playing days are probably over, hopefully there are some other days — maybe within the game of baseball or without it — that are going to be very positive and uplifting and a lot of fun.”
Stammen owns a 55-44 record with a 3.66 ERA in 562 games (43 starts) with the Washington Nationals (2009-15) and Padres (2017-22).
–Field Level Media