San Diego Padres right-hander Mike Clevinger is scheduled to be activated from the injured list Tuesday ahead of what will be his first major league appearance since the 2020 postseason.
Clevinger is set to pitch in Cleveland, which traded him to San Diego during the 2020 season. Clevinger helped pitch the Padres into the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers before suffering his second elbow injury (the first was in 2012).
He hasn’t pitched in a major league game since, having another Tommy John surgery before a knee injury slowed him this spring.
Clevinger, 31, was one of the game’s best pitchers from 2017 to ’20, when he went 41-20 with a 2.96 ERA, along with a a 1.15 WHIP and an average of 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings.
Clevinger made three rehab starts in recent weeks, striking out 15 in 8.2 innings with a 2.08 ERA.
“I’m commanding all five pitches pretty well,” Clevinger told reporters, per MLB.com. “So I feel like I’m ready to take that next step.”