Kyle Blanks (elbow) was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a walk as the designated hitter in his first minor league rehab game with Class A Lake Elsinore on Tuesday night.

There's currently no timetable for his return, but he'll obviously have to play in the field before that is possible. Blanks has been sidelined since May 17 due to a strained right elbow.

Kyle Blanks (elbow) took batting practice for the first time since going on the disabled list.

Blanks was pain-free, but said that he isn't yet where he needs to be. "It feels like I need to let it [swing] go," said Blanks. "Subconsciously, I'm holding back. I really need to let it go." It's still too early to say when he will return, but the early part of June sounds like a good bet.

Padres placed OF Kyle Blanks on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 18, with a right elbow strain.

Blanks underwent an MRI on Wednesday that revealed the strain. It's not considered serious, and he probably would have avoided the disabled list under different circumstances, but the Padres are hoping a few weeks of rest will help him recharge. The big man is batting just .157 with a .283 on-base percentage and three home runs in 102 at-bats this season.

An MRI Wednesday on Kyle Blanks' elbow revealed only a strain.

Blanks doesn't have any structural damage, which is great, but he's still going to miss the next several days due to the elbow strain. He's hitting just .157 with a .283 on-base percentage this season.

Kyle Blanks was scratched from Tuesday's lineup against the Giants with a sore right elbow.

No word on the severity of the injury. He'll be replaced by Oscar Salazar.

Kyle Blanks was held out of the Padres' starting lineup on Monday evening for the fourth time in 11 games.

Blanks is just 4-for-29 since April 20 with one homer and three RBI. He has fanned 18 times in those 29 at-bats and 32 times in 72 at-bats this season. Scott Hairston, Matt Stairs and Oscar Salazar will continue to see playing time in left field until Blanks regains his composure at the plate.

Kyle Blanks went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Wednesday to drop his average to .185.

Blanks has eight extra-base hits, nine RBI and eight walks in his 65 at-bats, so he's been more productive than the average suggests. Still, he's already up to 27 strikeouts and he's not exactly an asset in the outfield. If he doesn't improve over the next couple of weeks, the Padres could choose to send him down for a spell.

Kyle Blanks was 3-for-6 with a three-run homer and five RBI in a 17-2 win over the Braves on Monday night.

Not surprisingly, the 17 runs set a PETCO Park record. Blanks' three-run blast in the fifth was merely insult to injury about the club's 10-run fourth inning, the most since the club scored 11 against the Astros on July 29, 2007. Blanks started the season in a big funk, but he now has consecutive multi-hit games to his credit.

Kyle Blanks fanned all four times he was up Wednesday against the Diamondbacks.

Blanks hit a solo homer on Opening Day, but he's now 1-for-12 with six strikeouts this season. While there's a good chance he'll be the Padres' second-best hitter this year, the team may well be better off with Chase Headley hitting fifth behind Adrian Gonzalez for now.