Will Venable went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts in Wednesday's loss to the Indians. Venable's at-bat in the ninth inning was particularly ugly. He had a chance to tie the game or give the Padres the lead with runners on second and third with one out in a 2-0 game, but he flailed at a couple breaking balls in the dirt. The Padres outfielder is hitting just .207/.233/.241 with a 9/1 K/BB ratio in the early going.

Will Venable is not in the Padres starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Giants. Venable missed some time earlier in the week with an abdominal strain, so they're giving him an additional day of rest. Look for the dynamic outfielder to return to the lineup for Sunday's season finale.

Will Venable (abdomen) is back in the Padres' lineup Wednesday. Venable hasn't played since Sunday due to an abdominal strain, but he's feeling well enough to get back out there. The outfielder sports a .268/.310/.482 batting line with 22 homers and 22 steals this season.

Padres manager Bud Black indicated Tuesday that he's optimistic Will Venable (abdomen) will return later this week. It comes after he admitted Monday that Venable might not be back. "We are going to stay away from Will again today," Black said Tuesday. "We are going to see how this abdominal strain continues to progress, but we are hopeful that he will be back in there. I know that he feels as though he can help us win."

Will Venable might not play again this season due to what Padres manager Bud Black refers to as an "abdominal situation." "It's where the hip flexor meets the abdomen, he's a little sore," Black said. "We are going to keep an eye on him for the next 24, 48 hours." Black added that Venable has been nursing the ailment for "couple of weeks," though it's not clear how he suffered it. It would be an unfortunate ending to what has been a nice year for Venable, who has batted .268/.310/.482 with 22 homers and 22 steals.

Will Venable went 0-for-3 with a walk and his 22nd stolen base of the season in a losing effort against the Dodgers on Sunday. Prognosticators have hyped the potential power/speed combination that Venable has possessed for years now, and he's finally starting to deliver on that massive promise. The 30-year-old outfielder is hitting .268/.310/.482 with 22 home runs, 53 RBI and 22 swipes on the season.

Padres signed OF Will Venable to a two-year, $8.5 million contract extension. The extension, which buys out Venable's final two years of arbitration, will pay him $4.25 million in both 2014 and 2015. The 30-year-old has elevated his play amidst a series of San Diego outfield injuries, slashing a career-best .273/.315/.503. Venable is hitting .351/.390/.630 with nine home runs since the All-Star break.

Will Venable went 3-for-4 with a homer and a double against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday. That's 20 homers for Venable, whose previous career high was 13. He's on an awesome roll of late, with four three-hit games in his last six contests and eight homers in August. He's batting .400 and slugging .760 in 100 at-bats this month.

Will Venable went 3-for-4 and only missed the cycle by a double in Friday's 8-6 win against the Cubs. Venable's two-run triple in the fifth cut Chicago's lead to 6-5, and his solo seventh-inning home run gave San Diego the advantage for good, 7-6. The outfielder has been on fire this month, batting .364 with five doubles, three triples, six homers and 11 RBI in 77 August at-bats. Venable saw a 15-game hitting streak snap on Monday against the Pirates, but he's hit safely in all three games since. His appetizing combo of power and speed is playable in mixed leagues whenever he catches fire.

Will Venable went 4-for-5 with a steal and three runs scored Saturday versus the Mets. Venable is batting .382 with four homers and four steals during his current 14-game hitting streak. It probably won't last for much longer, but he can be useful in mixed leagues while he's leading off and stealing bases.