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Padres' Gore headed to seven-day DL

Top pitching prospect sidelined with blister on left middle finger
MacKenzie Gore has struck out 44 batters over 29 1/3 career innings in the Minor Leagues. (Fort Wayne TinCaps)
May 22, 2018

A rough season for MacKenzie Gore just got even rougher.San Diego's No. 2 prospect has been added to Class A Fort Wayne's seven-day disabled list with a blister on his left middle finger, the Midwest League club said Tuesday. 

A rough season for MacKenzie Gore just got even rougher.
San Diego's No. 2 prospect has been added to Class A Fort Wayne's seven-day disabled list with a blister on his left middle finger, the Midwest League club said Tuesday. 

This is the second time in 2018 that Gore has been sidelined with a blister on that finger. He spent April 13 to May 8 on the disabled list for the same issue and made two starts before the problem cropped up again.

It's been a rough introduction to full-season ball for the 19-year-old left-hander. Gore has allowed nine earned runs on 15 hits and two walks over eight innings in his three starts with the TinCaps for an ERA of 10.13 and WHIP of 2.13. The most, and perhaps only, promising part of his statline is that he's struck out 10 batters in his eight frames, fanning 26.3 percent of the batters he's faced.
Taken third overall in last year's Draft, the North Carolina native has drawn raves for his four-pitch mix and impressive control. His fastball and curveball are seen as his best offerings, but his slider and changeup also earned above-average grades entering the 2018 season. His delivery, which includes an unorthodox leg kick, typically adds deception and extension that can help the southpaw. While the results in his first three Fort Wayne outings fell short of expectations, the recurring blister issue could have been a major factor.

Sam Dykstra is a reporter for MiLB.com. Follow and interact with him on Twitter, @SamDykstraMiLB.