San Diego Padres pitcher Casey Mize suffered a sprained right ankle in an unusual incident on Saturday, twisting his ankle after slipping on dugout steps. The injury forced his removal from the game against the Minnesota Twins in the third inning.
Mize, acquired by the Padres from the Detroit Tigers prior to the trade deadline, described the incident: "I think my spike got caught on like the edge of the step, I guess, and then it kind of just made me slip a little bit. I tried to catch myself, and I ended up rolling my ankle kind of on the bottom step there," he said postgame.
Prior to the mishap, Mize had struggled on the mound, allowing three home runs in the first two innings. He exited the game having given up four runs on four hits, with one walk and three strikeouts over 3 ⅔ innings pitched. This performance followed a stretch where he had posted a 7.00 ERA in four starts for the Padres since the trade, a stark contrast to his 2.70 ERA in 16 starts with the Tigers before the trade.
The Padres hope Mize will not miss significant time as the team aims for a playoff spot. His next scheduled start was anticipated to be against the Tampa Bay Rays next weekend. Updates on his condition are expected in the coming days.
