ST. LOUIS (AP) – The San Diego Padres parted ways with David Wells on Thursday, designating the 44-year-old left-hander for assignment in order to activate All-Star Chris Young from the 15-day disabled list.

The Padres have 10 days to make a move with Wells or he’ll become a free agent. He struggled in his last four starts, going 0-3 with a 14.33 ERA. Overall, he was 5-8 with a 5.54 ERA this season.

General manager Kevin Towers said the club gave Wells the option of retiring or being designated for assignment. Neither Towers nor Wells could immediately be reached for comment on Thursday.

Young was scheduled to start against the Cardinals on Thursday night. He’d been out of action because of a strained left oblique muscle. He came into the game leading the majors with a 1.82 ERA and a .184 batting average against.