San Diego Padres right-hander Mike Clevinger received a cortisone shot in his ailing pitching elbow and his status for the upcoming wild-card round is up in the air, the team announced Friday.

"RHP Mike Clevinger has been diagnosed with a right posterior elbow impingement. He received a cortisone injection today and will be re-evaluated before a return date is determined," the Padres tweeted before hosting San Francisco later in the evening.

Shortly after the tweet, Padres general manager AJ Preller went on a Zoom call with media and was immediately asked about Clevinger.

"I don't want to jump to anything and say, 'Yeah, he's going to be in or out,'" Preller said of whether he anticipates Clevinger starting on the playoff roster. "It's really just going to depend on how he responds. And I think the real positive news, as well, is hearing the doctors talk about the fact that if he responds well to the injection -- which they anticipate he will -- then he's got a possibility to pitch for us as soon as next week."

The San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee reported that the team is more fearful of Clevinger's availability.

"The Padres are holding out hope right-hander Mike Clevinger will pitch for them in the postseason, even as they privately acknowledge the odds are against it happening," Acee wrote.

To that end, Preller told reporters, "Assuming (Clevinger) feels better in the next 48 hours, I think we'll start talking about him playing catch and then we'll really just go day to day."

The Padres will play in the postseason for the first time since 2006 on Wednesday, when they open a best-of-three wild-card series against a team yet to be determined.

Clevinger, who was acquired from the Cleveland Indians at last month's trade deadline, left Wednesday's start against the Los Angeles Angels after just one inning. An MRI exam and X-rays confirmed the diagnosis of a sprain.

The Padres made a number of moves in advance of the trade deadline to bolster the roster in the hopes of making a deep playoff run. The addition of the 29-year-old Clevinger was viewed as the most impactful, and in four starts with the Padres he is 2-1 with a 2.84 ERA.

Clevinger is a combined 3-2 with a 3.02 ERA over eight starts with the Indians and Padres. He was sent down by the Indians earlier this season after he was not forthcoming about violating the team's COVID-19 protocols.

In five major league seasons, Clevinger is 44-23 with a 3.19 ERA in 105 appearances (92 starts).

--Field Level Media