Padres injury news: Trade-bait Jon Jay's x-rays come back negative, which is positive

It was a bit worrisome for Padres fans when they saw Travis Jankowski trotting out to Jon Jay's spot in center field for the top of the sixth inning yesterday, just a little over an inning after Jay was plunked just above his right wrist by a fastball from Washington starter Gio Gonzalez. However, as reported by Carlos Collazo of MLB.com, the extent of the damage was bruising, and manager Andy Green does not expect Jay to join the multitude of teammates who are on the disabled list. What remains to be seen is whether the injury will affect Jay's performance and, in turn, his trade value.

Jay, whose batting average has been hovering around .300 since collecting nine hits in 12 at-bats the first two games of this month, seems unlikely to finish the year in one of the many Padres uniforms. He has performed well for the last-place Friars, and his contract expires at season's end. Jay leads the league in doubles with 24, and is tied with teammate Wil Myers for the most hits this month, with 26. While there is still a month to go before the non-waiver trade deadline, Jay's name has been tossed around in various rumors already, with some speculation that he would be a fit for the Red Sox.