Bard strained his right triceps on Monday, a relapse of the same injury that he suffered last month, also in Denver.

“It’s weird and frustrating with the way the season has gone,” Bard said before the Padres faced the Rockies on Tuesday at Coors Field.

In a season in which Bard has been hampered by injuries, this injury effectively ends his season with 11 games remaining, manager Bud Black said.

“He’s more than likely out for the year,” Black said.

The injury means Bard, acquired in 2006 from the Boston Red Sox with reliever Cla Meredith, has played his last game with the Padres.

A team source indicated Tuesday that the Padres won’t offer him salary arbitration after the season, rendering him a free agent.

With rookie Nick Hundley figuring to get the majority of starts at catcher next season, the Padres will either fill their reserve catcher role internally with someone like Luke Carlin, who started Tuesday, or through free agency.

One option for a backup could be 39-year-old Brad Ausmus, who lives in Del Mar. Ausmus, who played for San Diego from 1993-96, has said this will be his last season in Houston and that he wants to play closer to home.

The Padres’ catching situation is certainly a far cry from where the team was when it broke Spring Training when it had two veteran catchers — Bard and Michael Barrett — it felt comfortable with.

But Barrett missed 41 games earlier this season with a strained elbow ligament and has been out since July 4 with a fractured nose.

“It’s a tough situation,” Black said. “That’s a position we thought we were well covered. It just goes to show you never know.”

Bard suffered a strain of the right triceps taking batting practice at Coors Field on Aug. 8 and missed 13 games. He suffered a similar injury on Monday doing another hitting drill.

Bard, who missed 54 games earlier this season with a high ankle sprain, will now miss more games this season than he’s played in (57). He finishes the season hitting .202 in 178 at-bats with one home run and 16 RBIs.

Bard hit .338 in 93 games with the Padres following the trade from Boston and .285 last season with five home runs and 51 RBIs.

Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

The San Diego Padres

9-2-2008:

Recalled C Luke Carlin from Triple-A Portland. Purchased the contract of OF Chip Ambres from Triple-A Portland.

The San Diego Padres

Reinstated C Josh Bard from the 15-day disabled list. Optioned C Luke Carlin to Triple-A Portland.

                                  8-23-2008:

Purchased the contract of RHP Dirk Hayhurst from Triple-A Portland. Optioned INF Brian Myrow to Triple-A Portland.

Chris Younghad his stuff, then he didn’t have his stuff; throwing 3 shutout innings before he fell apart at the seams, going 4 innings on 9 hits 7 runs all earned with 3 BB 2 strikeouts and giving up one home run. All of this way in the 4th inning, then Bud Blackthe clever lefty, throw-up two of he’s own two praised left-handers out of his pen; Justin Hampson and Wilfredo Ledezma put 5 innings of shutout baseball with 5hits 2 BB 3 strikeouts between them, Hampson getting the win.

The Lineup batted like this: Jody Gerut went 3-6 with a 3run HR 2hits and 2 runs scored, Luis Rodriguez went 2-6 with two runs scored. Brian Giles went 4-6 with a 2run HR 3hits 2RBIs and 4 runs scored, Adrian Gonzalez went 4-5 with 4 hits 2 RBI 3 runs scored and a BB. Kevin Kouzmanoff went 3-6 a 2 run home run hie 17th of the year, also had  2 hits and a run scored, Chase Headley went 1-2 with a hit a RBI and a run scored and had 3 BB.

Luke Carlin got his first homer of the year a 2 run shot, also a hit two other RBI 2 runs scored one BB and 2 strikeouts, Edger Gonzalez  went 1-5 with a run scored one hit one walk and two strikeouts.

Tomorrow’s game the Padres are back in San Diego at Petco Park with Cha Seung Baek(4-6) vs. J.Suppan(7.7) game starts at 7:05pm pt/10:05pm et.

Bard suffered the injury on the last swing of the last round of early batting practice prior to Friday’s game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.

Bard, who suffered a similar injury when he was in the Minor Leagues in 1999, said the pain in his elbow was enough to keep him from throwing, and that he will likely need 5 to 7 days before he will play again.

The San Diego Padres recalled rookie Luke Carlin from Triple-A Portland to take his place. Carlin was in uniform for Saturday’s game, because the Beavers happened to be playing in Colorado Springs this weekend.

Bard will be eligible to come off the disabled list on Aug. 22, when the Padres play the Giants. To date, Bard has missed 55 games because of injury, 54 of were due to a high ankle sprain suffered on May 22.

“It’s hard, I’ve never experienced anything like this,” Bard said.

Michael Barrett, the other catcher on the Opening Day roster, has missed 70 games with first a sprained ligament in his right elbow, and most recently, a fractured nose and orbital bone that occurred, oddly enough, on July 3, when the team was in Denver.

“Two veteran catchers at a premium position,” Padres manager Bud Black said.

All told, Padres catchers have missed 145 games this season. The total number of missed games for the team this season is 842, up from 280 a year ago.

Bard had appeared in just six games since coming off the disabled list on July 24 and was hitting .209 this season.

“It’s been really, really hard this year to play this bad as a team, but it’s been really, really hard not to be able to help,” Bard said.

Carlin is no stranger to the Padres. He made his Major League debut on May 10 and has appeared in 30 games and started 23 behind the plate. Offensively, Carlin is hitting .138 in 80 at-bats after hitting .328 with Portland.

Rookie catcher Nick Hundley figured to get an extended look between now and the end of the season, regardless of Bard’s injury. Hundley is hitting .221 thus far and has been impressive behind the plate, throwing out 7 of 22 would-be base stealers.

On Friday, Hundley threw out Colorado’s speedy lead-off hitter, Willy Taveras, in the first inning, and appeared to get him again later in the game, though Taveras was ruled safe. Carlin’s times on the throws were 1.83 and 1.87, below the 1.9 mark the Padres want to see from their catchers.

Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

7/24/2008:

San Diego Padres
Reinstated C Josh Bard from the 15-day disabled list; Recalled LHP Justin Hampson from Triple-A Portland; Optioned C Luke Carlin and LHP Joe Thatcher to Portland.

7/23/2008:

San Diego Padres
Purchased the contract of LHP Wilfredo Ledezma from Triple-A Portland

Then in the 11th inning J.Keppinger hit a double which Chase Headleylooked like he gave up on it,  scoring the winning run in J.Burce, it was given up by Byan Corey it being the second walk-off giving up in as few days.
Mike Adams,Heath Bell,Cla Meredithcombined to throw up 4 scoreless innings only giving up one hit,2BB and 8 strikeouts.
Batting and fielding wise the padres seemed like they didn’t not want to play,they kind of look like boys who lost their dogs or best friends, very depressed look and play. They made basic plays into errors,they were swinging at balls and most of the time it was swings at ball 4, instead of taking them they looked comfortable walking back to the dougout.
The Padres had a combined total 6 hits three of them coming for Edger Gonzales and brother Adian Gonzales had one with a RBI,BB,SO.
One other bright spot is Brian Giles had one hit,one run two RBI’s,two walks,two SO
also Khalil Greene had a hit and Luke Carlin had a run scored.

All-in-All the game started out good but throughout the game you could since the Padres were not on top of their game, making clearly mental mistakes fielding and batting.
Tomorrow’s game will not be on T.V as Greg Maddux(3-8) vs B.Arroyo(8-7) at 9:35am can listen on XPRS 1090/105.7 FM , XEMO 860.

Justin Hampson, Bryan Corey, and Mike Adams pitched the final three innings of the game and only gave up two combined hits.  Great job by the pullpen in finishing up the game.

At the plate, the Padres jumped all over the Dodgers with five runs in the first inning.  Brian Giles had a three run home run, Adrian Gonzalez a rbi single, and then Luke Carlin had a rbi ground out.  That all happened in the first inning!

The Padres just kept adding on runs as Carlin had a bases loaded walk in the third inning.  A. Gonzalez then had a rbi single in the seventh inning before Craig Stansberry singled in a run in the eight inning.  The Padres weren’t done yet though, Jody Gerut also had a rbi single in the ninth inning!

Talk about great pitching and great hitting up and down the lineup.  That is a butt kicking no matter which way you look at it!

Padres Blog