SAN DIEGO — It’s official: Padres pitcher Mat Latos, a 14-game winner a year ago, will be activated from the 15-day disabled list to start on Monday against the Reds at PETCO Park.
Latos, on the disabled list since March 22 with bursitis in his right shoulder, will make his 2011 debut against a team he didn’t face last season.
“It’s time to get him back on the horse,” Padres manager Bud Black said. “He feels ready. … I think he’s excited for his first start of the year.”
Latos, who threw a side session before Friday’s game against the Dodgers, told reporters this week he was itching to get into a game.
“Everything just feels right,” Latos said.
Black said Latos — who threw 70 pitches in a Minor League simulated game on Monday in Arizona — will not be on a pitch count.
“He’s pretty well stretched out,” Black said.
Latos, one of three Padres pitchers to win 14 games a year ago, was on pace to make his first Opening Day start before suffering a sore shoulder two days after a March 21 exhibition start against the White Sox.
Bench coach Renteria has follow-up procedure
SAN DIEGO — Padres bench coach Rick Renteria didn’t get much of a chance to enjoy his off-day Thursday, as he was in Phoenix to have a follow-up procedure done on his mouth.
Renteria was struck in the mouth on March 3 after a line drive glanced off a protective screen and hit him. the force of the ball pushed back his upper teeth and he needed to have his maxillary bone — also known as the mustache bone — repaired.
Renteria, remarkably, didn’t lose any teeth in the incident.
On Thursday, Renteria had the arch bar that was aiding the healing of the bone removed.
Renteria is still limited to what he can eat and does most of his chewing on either side of his mouth.
“In a month, I look forward to eating some good stuff,” he said.
Renteria was moving a protective screen during batting practice at the Spring Training facility in Arizona when a line drive was hit directly at him. Renteria figured the mesh netting of the screen would catch the ball. But the ball glanced off a metal pole on the screen and hit him flush in the face.
Black recalls playing with Manny
SAN DIEGO — for a brief time in 1995, Bud Black’s final season as a player, he was a teammate of Manny Ramirez in Cleveland.
Black remembered being impressed with the then 23-year-old.
“You could tell he was a very talented player. … he had great hands, had a keen eye and you could just tell he would continue to hit,” Black said of Ramirez, who announced his retirement on Friday after receiving a notification from Major League Baseball about a drug issue.
Ramirez, who was beginning his first season with the Rays, hit 31 home runs and drove in 107 runs for the Indians in 1995, the season they went 100-44 and lost to the Braves in the World Series.
“I don’t think anyone knew at the time what he was destined for,” Black said.
Black, at age 38, went 4-2 with a 6.85 ERA with the Indians in 11 games in 1995 before he was released on July 14.
Top prospect Kelly debuts in Padres system
SAN DIEGO — Pitcher Casey Kelly, regarded as the top Minor League prospect in the Padres farm system, made his organizational debut on Friday.
Kelly, one of four players the Padres obtained from the Red Sox in the December deal that sent All-Star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez to Boston, allowed three earned runs over 4 1/3 innings in Double-A San Antonio’s game against Northwest Arkansas.
Kelly allowed five hits and had one walk and one strikeout. he threw 83 pitches, 54 for strikes.
Kelly, a right-hander, allowed two runs in the first inning and went unscored upon until the fifth inning.
Kelly, 21, had a 3.00 ERA in four Cactus League appearances over nine innings for the Padres before being sent to Minor League camp.
