Padres Pitcher Stabbed In Hunting Incident

San Diego Padres pitcher, Andrew Cashner will miss the start of next season after being accidentally stabbed by a friend in his throwing hand.

The 26 year old right-hander suffered a puncture wound and lacerated a tendon as a result of the stabbing while he assisted a friend trimmed a carcass on a recent hunting trip. Cashner had surgery for the lacerated tendon on December 4 and the recovery time is expected to be 3 months.

“It’s a three-month recovery. The doctors don’t expect any long-term consequences, but Andrew will be behind. To say he’ll be ready by Opening Day is unrealistic,” Padres general manager Josh Byrnes told Yahoo! Sports.

The injury is believed to be minor and will not have any long-term effects for Cashner. The Padres, however, see the injury as a setback. Cashner was expected to compete for a rotation spot, but will now join starters Cory Luebke and Joe Weiland on the disabled list for Opening Day.

“This was not Plan A,” said Byrnes, who had included Cashner among his pitching candidates before coming to the winter meetings seeking two more starting pitchers. The Padres re-signed free agent Jason Marquis to a one-year, $3 million contract Dec. 3 moments after the opening of the meetings.

Cashner, a former first round draft pick was 3-4 for the Padres last season in 33 games with a 4.27 ERA. Cashner, known for his scorching fastball, missed most of the second half of last season with a latissimus dorsi strain that led to complications in a tendon behind his right armpit.

The Padres hope to start Cashner on a throwing program upon his return to the team and back into the rotation as early as possible.