Padres' Joshua Mears: Back on IL after brief return

Mears, who previously missed two weeks of action with a right shoulder strain before returning to the Low-A Lake Elsinore lineup Aug. 3, was placed on the injured list three days later.

An official explanation for Mears' placement on the IL wasn't provided by Lake Elsinore, but Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune speculates that the 20-year-old may have been deactivated due to COVID-19-related contact-tracing protocols. Mears is slashing .266/.404/.553 with 14 home runs and eight stolen bases across 245 plate appearances this season at Low-A.