Padres Injury Update: Justin Upton misses fourth straight start since suffering oblique soreness

Justin Upton is out of the lineup again tonight as he continues to nurse his sore left oblique. This marks the fourth straight game missed by Upton, and the fourth day of people worrying about his trade value decreasing.

In case you need a refresher, this all started on Sunday when Upton was pulled from the game just before it was delayed (and later postponed completely) by a rare San Diego torrential downpour in the fifth inning. Fans began speculating about his exit from the game at such an early point, and a Justin Upton #hugwatch alert went into effect on social media. But Jon Heyman cleared things up pretty quickly, reporting on Twitter that Upton was out due to injury/precaution rather than a trade.

But what began as a precautionary move to prevent further injury has turned into a four-day stint (at least) on the bench for Upton. He did see some action prior to tonight's game against the Marlins, getting some swings in the cage and playing catch in the outfield during batting practice, and he may be available to pitch tonight. The Padres are hopeful he will be able to get back into game action at some point during this four-game Marlins series. I'm just hoping he doesn't turn into another Wil Myers or Brandon Morrow.