The San Diego Padres' playoff hopes are still alive. They currently sit in fourth place in the National League West, making their odds of winning the division rather slim. San Diego is still trying to clinch an NL Wild Card spot, however. The latest injury update on pitcher Michael Wacha will excite Padres fans amid their postseason push, per Dennis Lin of The Athletic.

“Michael Wacha went five innings and 67 pitches yesterday in Arizona. He could return from the IL next week,” Lin shared on Twitter.

Wacha has been brilliant this season across 15 starts. The veteran right-hander has pitched to the tune of a 2.84 ERA and 1.074 WHIP. Additionally, Wacha has struck out 73 hitters over 85.2 innings pitched. His looming return will benefit San Diego's rotation without question.

Padres' playoff push

San Diego features enough talent to make a playoff run. They are currently 13.5 games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West, but just 4.5 games back of an NL Wild Card spot. The question is whether or not they can find ways to win on a consistent basis.

San Diego has endured some struggles in recent action, leading potential NL MVP candidate Juan Soto to call out the team.

“We've got to play as a team,” Soto said, via Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune. “We've got to go out there grind every day. Grind every at-bat. … It's been really inconsistent. Some days we do, some days we don't. We gotta do it every day. Days like this series, we just give up. Like literally, we just give up instead of keep grinding, keep pushing. We've got to forget about yesterday and keep moving.”

Injuries, such as Wacha's, have played a role in the Padres' underperformance. Still, teams like the Dodgers have been hit hard by the injury bug but have still remained consistent in the win column. The Padres cannot afford to make any excuses and must turn things around before it is too late.

It will be interesting to see if this San Diego ball club, which was constructed as a World Series contender during the offseason, can sneak into an NL Wild Card spot.