Padres' Vasquez stable after fainting in Dodgers game start
Padres right-hander Randy Vásquez is in stable condition after fainting while heading for ankle X-rays following his start in one of this season's pivotal Dodgers games. He was struck by a 99 mph comebacker in the first inning, pitched three innings, then collapsed en route to imaging and was taken to a local hospital for precautionary tests. Manager Craig Stammen said the team hospitalized him as a precaution after he regained consciousness.
Key Takeaways
- Vásquez fainted on his way to X-ray his right ankle after San Diego's loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
- A 99 mph comebacker hit his ankle in the first inning, but he stayed in for three innings before exiting.
- Stammen said Vásquez regained consciousness before being hospitalized as a precaution.
- Medical staff are running tests on both the fainting episode and the ankle injury.
- His availability for future Dodgers games will depend on those results.
What happened to Randy Vásquez during the Dodgers game?
Vásquez's outing against the Dodgers ended abruptly after a difficult start. In the first inning, a 99 mph comebacker struck his right ankle, yet he remained on the mound and worked through three innings before leaving the game, according to ESPN.
After the game, team staff planned in-stadium imaging on the ankle that had been compromised during the start. It was on that walk toward X-rays that Vásquez lost consciousness, turning a routine postgame check into an emergency response.
Why was Vasquez taken to the hospital?
Stammen told reporters the Padres transported Vásquez to a local hospital out of caution once he fainted. The manager said the pitcher was conscious again and undergoing tests for both the fainting and the ankle.
"He was on his way to get an X-ray here in the stadium and fainted," Stammen said, per ESPN. "So we took him to the emergency room just as a precaution. He's conscious. He's getting all his tests done." The club said it did not yet have a full read on the ankle or what triggered the collapse.
How does the ankle injury connect to the fainting episode?
CBS Sports reported that Vásquez hurt his ankle on the comebacker before pitching through the pain, then passed out while en route to imaging. That sequence links two separate medical concerns: trauma from the line drive and an unexplained loss of consciousness afterward.
Stammen said the organization hoped to learn more overnight and into the next day. Until those results arrive, any timeline for Vásquez's return—including whether he can pitch in upcoming Dodgers games—remains uncertain.
What should fans watch for next?
The Padres have not released a firm timetable for Vásquez's comeback. The priority is clearing him medically after precautionary hospital tests, not rushing him back into a rotation facing a packed slate of Dodgers games and other division matchups.
Game footage from the outing is available on MLB.com. For more trending coverage, visit our Future Tech & AI Wonders hub.