Garrett Whitlock is dealing with elbow inflammation.

Not a great sign. Whitlock told reporters that the pain has been “building” for a couple weeks, but doesn’t believe he’s dealing with any structural issues. It certainly explains why he wasn’t summoned during Wednesday’s eighth-inning meltdown when Tyron Guerrero and Alec Gamboa combined to allow five runs. The 30-year-old has had a phenomenal season, posting a sparkling 2.05 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 49/7 K/BB ratio across 44 innings as one of the premier setup specialists in the game. There should be some additional clarity on his status later this week.