Padres recalled OF Kyle Blanks from Triple-A Tucson.

Blanks is fully recovered from Tommy John surgery and was hitting .351/.421/.716 with 11 homers for Triple-A Tucson. He should see regular starts at first base for the Padres and may carry value in deeper mixed leagues.

According to Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors, the Padres have called up Kyle Blanks.

There's nothing official from the team yet, but this could indicate that the struggling Anthony Rizzo is being sent to the minors or that Ryan Ludwick has been traded. Blanks, who underwent Tommy John surgery last year, is batting .351/.421/.716 with 11 homers and 35 RBI with Triple-A Tucson.

The Padres are promoting Kyle Blanks to Triple-A Tucson following Anthony Rizzo's call-up to the big leagues.

Blanks was batting .283 with four homers and 27 RBI over 44 games with Double-A San Antonio, but now he'll split at-bats with Matt Clark between first base and left field at the Triple-A level. The 24-year-old is currently working his way back from Tommy John surgery, so the Padres plan to have him play more in left field as his elbow gets stronger.

Kyle Blanks began a rehab assignment at Double-A San Antonio by going 1-for-4 as a DH on Thursday.

Blanks is making his way back from Tommy John surgery. He's on the major league DL right now, but he'll be optioned to the minors in a couple of weeks to continue his rehab in Triple-A. He probably won't see San Diego again until June or July.

Padres placed OF-1B Kyle Blanks on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to March 22, recovery from Tommy John surgery.

Blanks is still in recovery mode from Tommy John surgery last July. He was able to get some at-bats in Cactus League play, so it appears he is progressing quite nicely. The Padres will likely want to limit the stress on his throwing arm, so look for him to play some first base once he's ready to return.

Kyle Blanks made his first appearance in a Cactus League game on Friday, going 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter against the Reds.

Blanks is still expected to begin the season on the disabled list, but today was obviously a huge step in his recovery from Tommy John surgery. He's worth stashing in deeper NL-only leagues, and could prove to be a huge steal despite his miserable production before getting shut down last year.

Kyle Blanks faced live pitching Monday in a "B" game for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery last July.

Blanks was naturally pretty rusty at the plate, finishing the day 0-for-2 with a walk and two strikeouts. "I've been tracking balls in batting practice, but this was the first live at-bats with the intent to hit the ball," Blanks said. "I definitely felt competitive, but the reps just aren't there. And those were the first breaking balls I've seen since early last season." Blanks is expected to begin the season on the disabled list, but once he's ready, he will go out on a rehab assignment. He could be a factor at first base or in the outfield later this summer.

Kyle Blanks (elbow) has taken grounders at first base several times this week.

The 24-year-old is still recovering from Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery and not expected to compete in live games until late May or early June. "I haven't experienced too many bad days," Blanks said Friday. "That's the thing I'm happy about. With the limits I've been given, I've been reaching those limits and not finding too much trouble with it."

Kyle Blanks (elbow) is currently hitting and playing catch three days a week.

"Right now, it's health and rehab first and playing second," said Blanks, who reported to camp 10 pounds lighter than last season. "Realistically, it's a long shot that I would be ready to play on Opening Day and I'm not even thinking about that. I'm at the point of my rehab that I'm hitting three days a week and playing catch three days a week. This type of rehab is a process that you can't speed up." Position players have an easier road to recovery from Tommy John than pitchers, but Blanks is unlikely to be a factor for the Padres for the early part of the season.

Kyle Blanks (Tommy John surgery) is not expected to be ready to play until well after the beginning of the 2011 season.

That means the Padres will have to get someone to play first base with Adrian Gonzalez out of the picture. New Padre Anthony Rizzo is now the long-term option there, but he probably won't be in San Diego until midseason, at the earliest. Once Rizzo is ready, Blanks will return to the outfield.

Padres GM Jed Hoyer confirmed Wednesday that Kyle Blanks is headed for Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery.

It's not yet known when Blanks will undergo the procedure, but we'd expect that to happen within the next week. The outfielder hit .157/.283/.324 with three homers and 15 RBI in 102 at-bats before hitting the disabled list and will probably miss a good chunk of the 2011 season.

Kyle Blanks (elbow) was scheduled to throw for the first time in over a month Tuesday.

We should learn more about his status today. An MRI recently indicated that Blanks will not need surgery on his right elbow, so he is expected to work towards a return later this season.

An MRI indicated that Kyle Blanks will likely not need surgery on his ailing right elbow.

"It seems like [surgery] is a very slight possibility now," said Blanks, who also received a cortisone shot on Thursday. "It's not likely going to happen." Blanks hasn't played since being pulled from a minor league rehab assignment last month, but he's still hopeful that he can return at some point later this season.

Kyle Blanks admitted that surgery has been discussed for his ailing right elbow.

Just yesterday, Padres manager Bud Black said surgery had not been discussed. Obviously, everyone involved would like to avoid surgery, but Blanks is making little progress since being shut down from a minor league rehab assignment earlier this month.

According to Padres manager Bud Black, Kyle Blanks has reported only "minimal" improvement in his right elbow.

Blanks suffered a setback during a rehab assignment with Triple-A Portland earlier this month. So far, surgery hasn't been discussed, but there's no indication of when the Padres will send him back out on a rehab assignment.

Kyle Blanks (elbow), who has been on the disabled list since May 18, will miss another 3-4 more weeks after an MRI showed more damage than had previously been thought.

The San Diego Union Tribune reports that it will be another two weeks before Blanks even picks up a ball, which makes three weeks seems like an awfully optimistic timetable. While Blanks won't need to recover his arm strength to the degree that a pitcher in rehab would, he can't exactly be two-hopping the cut-off man either. Blanks was off to a slow start before he landed on the DL, as he'd produced a line of just .157/.283/.324.

Kyle Blanks said an MRI showed that his right elbow was "a little more beat up in there than last time."

We're not sure what to make of that quite yet, however it is worth noting that a previous MRI on his elbow showed no structural damage. We await an official word from the team, but this doesn't sound good.

Kyle Blanks has left his minor league rehab assignment in order to have his strained right elbow re-examined.

Blanks felt some discomfort in the elbow while playing for Triple-A Portland on Monday. "After the first game with Portland, it kept getting stiffer and stiffer," said Blanks. "Every day when I woke up, it was stiff. It just didn't feel right. It wasn't playable ... I didn't have the throwing arm I should have." His return is obviously up in the air, but the Padres will go ahead with Kyle Blanks bobblehead night on Saturday, anyway.

Kyle Blanks (elbow) was 1-for-3 with a walk in his first minor league rehab game with Triple-A Portland on Monday night.

Blanks batted .270 with four RBI over 10 games with Class A Lake Elsinore. His 20-day minor league rehab assignment expires on Sunday, so the club will have to make a decision on his future shortly.

Kyle Blanks (elbow) was scheduled to resume his minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Portland on Monday night.

He batted .270/.386/.351 with four RBI in 10 games with Class A Lake Elsinore. Blanks is only allowed to be on a minor league rehab assignment for 20 days, so he should be activated fairly soon. He has been sidelined since May 17 due to a strained right elbow.