Report: Padres' Gore shut down ... for now

Having ascended to become the game's best left-handed pitching prospect, MacKenzie Gore will sit out the final month of the season. 
The top San Diego prospect has been shut down for the rest of the regular season, but could return to game action in the Texas League playoffs, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. Gore reportedly will continue throwing side sessions in August.

MLB.com's No. 3 overall prospect hit the injured list on three separate occasions last year, which limited him to 60 2/3 innings with Class A Fort Wayne during his first full professional season. But back and healthy from the get-go in 2019, Gore moved up to Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore, where he proved to be a force in a hitter-friendly environment.
With the Storm, Gore dominated with a 7-1 record, a 1.02 ERA, a 0.71 WHIP and 110 strikeouts in 79 1/3 innings. The third overall pick in the 2017 Draft never allowed more than two runs in any of his 15 outings and seven times held the opposition scoreless. His efforts earned him a California League midseason All-Star nod and a trip to the All-Star Futures Game in Cleveland. Among the game's best young talent, Gore worked around a walk in a scoreless inning. 
The 20-year-old then headed to Double-A Amarillo on July 9. Through four outings, he went 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP, stats which were elevated due to a seven-run outing in four innings against Northwest Arkansas. He struck out 20 in 20 innings for the Sod Poodles.

"There was no panic button after giving up seven runs," he told MiLB.com after his July 26 start. "I was going to have a bad one. It wasn't going to be like that all year. But no, it was just, 'Hey, just figure out what you need to work on between this one and just get ready to go.'"
But after a career-high 99 1/3 innings, the North Carolina native will not pitch another game during the final month. Amarillo has already qualified for the playoffs by winning the Texas League South's first half.