Randy Vásquez to pitch behind opener Kyle Hart

Vásquez was injured when he took a comebacker off of his ankle during the first inning on Thursday. While he only sustained a bruise, it was going to cost him his next turn in the rotation, so the Padres made the wise decision to place him on the injured list and get a fresh arm added to their bullpen.

X-Rays were negative, tests came back clean, but it sounds like Vásquez demonstrated some concussion symptoms and it wouldn’t be surprising if he wound up on the 7-day IL.

Vásquez was on his way to undergo X-rays on his ankle when he fainted. Those were deemed necessary because he took a Mookie Betts comebacker off his leg in the first inning, though he remained in until being pulled after three innings due to ineffectiveness. He was stable and conscious after fainting.

The Padres lack quality alternatives, but removing Vásquez from the rotation seems like the only appropriate move at this point. He’s given up 18 runs — 14 earned — in 9 2/3 innings over his last three outings, striking out just two batters in the process. The Padres won eight of his first nine starts this year, but they’ve now lost seven of his last eight turns. If he stays in the rotation, he’ll face the D-backs on Tuesday.

The Padres used Kyle Hart as an opener tonight to avoid Vásquez facing Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman right away, only to have him face Ohtani and Freeman right away to begin the third inning. Vásquez dropped to 6-6 with a 4.56 ERA, and those encouraging signs from April are long gone now. Vásquez is due to face the Dodgers again on Thursday, but the Padres could again have him pitch behind an opener or try some sort of different arrangement.

Vásquez took the mound with a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning and worked as fast as he could to let the Rangers whittle away that lead. An error by Vásquez to start the game allowed Joc Pederson to reach base. He would then allow six of the next seven batters he faced to reach base, three of whom doubled, with Jake Burgers’ double officially tying the game at 5-5. A single by Elias Díaz would drive in Burger to put the Rangers up 6-5 before the inning came to an end. Vásquez would be pulled with one out in the fourth inning after allowing an RBI double to Wyatt Langford to put the Rangers up 7-6. This was easily the worst start of the season for Vásquez, who struggled to stay in the strike zone at times and was hit hard when he did manage to get the ball over the plate. He’ll hope for a better outing in his next start on Wednesday against the Braves.

Hart returns to San Diego’s bullpen mix with All-Star closer Mason Miller away from the club on bereavement leave. The 33-year-old lefty has posted a lackluster 5.40 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 10/6 K/BB ratio across 16 2/3 innings over 12 appearances for the Padres this season.

Vásquez got off to a rocky start when he coughed up a pair of runs in the first inning, including a solo shot to Pete Alonso. However, he managed to settle in and keep Baltimore off the scoreboard into the middle innings to pick up his sixth win of the season. He struck out five and only issued two walks. He’ll face the Rangers in a road matchup on Friday his next time out.

Vásquez missed bats like basically never before at the beginning of the season and got off to a great start, but that seems mostly over now. This was his fifth straight start in which he’s fanned three or fewer, with him totaling 11 strikeouts in 25 innings during the span. His velocity jump has remained intact and he’s still doing a good job of limiting walks, so he might not be completely useless in mixed leagues going forward. However, his ERA, currently at 3.63, will probably continue to climb. He’ll face the Orioles next weekend.

Vásquez had three strikeouts and just six misses on 37 swings tonight. He’s struck out just 16 over 31 2/3 innings in his last six starts, compared to 34 in 33 2/3 innings over his first six starts of the season. If this keeps up, he’s going to lose viability in mixed leagues, even in a nice situation in San Diego. He’s set for a home start against the Mets on Sunday.