Aaron Harang threw a bullpen session yesterday as he recovers from a foot injury, but manager Bud Black told Dan Hayes of the North County Times that the right-hander is unlikely to rejoin the Padres’ rotation before the All-Star break.
Harang provided a nice return on the Padres’ modest $4 million offseason investment by throwing 80 innings with a 3.71 ERA and 55/25 K/BB ratio before being placed on the disabled list three weeks ago, posting a 7-2 record after going 18-38 in his final three seasons with the Reds.
Harang told Hayes that he’s “itching to get back” but also understands why the Padres would play it safe in an effort to get him at full strength for the second half, when they may look to trade him to a contender in need of some short-term rotation help. He’s under contract for $3.5 million year, with a $5 million option or $500,000 buyout for 2012.