The Padres activated Ji Man Choi from the 10-day injured list this evening. Matt Carpenter landed on the 10-day IL, retroactive to September 12, with right elbow inflammation.
Choi makes it back to the majors before season’s end. He has been out since August 14, when a ribcage strain sent him to the IL. He was able to get back into rehab games a couple weeks later, but it seemed his season would be over when he fouled a ball off his right foot while playing for Triple-A El Paso 10 days ago.
While the Friars initially announced that Choi had broken his ankle, they quickly changed the diagnosis to a Lisfranc injury. Within two days, he was back on the field for El Paso. He made three more rehab appearances before getting the call back to the big league club.
It’s of little consequence for San Diego at this stage. They’re down to 69-78 and going to miss the postseason. Yet it could be a small boost for Choi personally. The left-handed hitter will be a free agent this winter. Playing out the final two and a half weeks will at least allow him to go into the offseason with a fairly clean bill of health. It has been a challenging season overall, as the 32-year-old missed a couple months early in the season with a strained left Achilles. He returned shortly before the trade deadline, was flipped from the Pirates to San Diego, then hurt his rib (and subsequently his foot).
Thanks to the injuries, Choi has gotten into just 30 games. He has slumped to a .179/.239/.440 line over 92 plate appearances and has yet to record a hit as a Padre. Choi was a solid offensive player for the Rays over the four prior seasons, combining for a .242/.350/.421 batting line with a stellar 13.8% walk rate.
Carpenter has had a tough first season with the Friars. He has a .176/.322/.319 line with five homers through 237 trips to the dish, a far cry from his resurgent .305/.412/.727 showing in 47 games for the Yankees last year. Even if he’s able to make it back for the final few games, he’ll surely exercise a $5.5MM player option in lieu of a return trip to free agency.
In other Friars’ injury news, Joe Musgrove won’t return this season. AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports that the Padres are scaling back the throwing program for their staff ace. Musgrove has been out since early August with inflammation in his throwing shoulder. He hasn’t suffered any kind of setback. Without even a glimmer of hope for a playoff run, the team simply decided there’s no reason to push him.
Musgrove’s season concludes with a 3.05 ERA across 17 starts. He’s under contract for four more seasons at $20MM annually. He and Yu Darvish are the two locks for next year’s starting five. Blake Snell will be a free agent,while Seth Lugo is likely to decline a player option to test the market himself. Michael Wacha could also hit free agency if both he and the team decline their end of various options in his deal. That’ll leave the Friars in search of a handful of starting pitchers over the coming months.
Anyone else read that Kevin Acee report on the Padres clubhouse?
What did he report
Several players described the Padres as not having a winning culture and there’s no leadership despite that Manny Machado “controls the clubhouse and sets a tone and personality for the team.” Kinda reads like a jab at Machado more than anything.
What I saw mostly went after Machado as being “at the center of a S.D Clubhouse leadership void”. Machado was quoted as admitting to “not playing as well as before”.
Machado has always been player to “give up” when things weren’t going his way.
He’s a great player, but I wouldn’t want him to have a leadership role on a team. Especially, if the team is underperforming.
You could use a VPN and an odd browser to read the article on your one free article allotment at:
sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/padres/story/2023-…
This is all old news, going back to March.
Or just use incognito tabs
Google 12 ft ladder if you dont subscribe. But don’t do it to read Acee’s garbage. Its a waste of your time.
There’s no Choi in Mudville?
If Machado is expected to be a leader, the team has already failed.
Acee is a hack that wants clicks. He has learned well that negativity and unsubstantiated rumors drive traffic and that traffic is what gets him paid. This article was a hatchet job on the team and specifically on Machado and he should be ashamed.
The truth is that its the managers job to create and maintain the culture in the clubhouse and on the field. Always has been. Always will be.
Its the manager’s job to get players to show up for infield practice, not a singular players. If the manager thinks that other players will follow one player’s example, then its the manager’s job to talk to that player and get him out on the field.
Its the manager’s job to squelch rumors and stand up for his players.
Its the manager’s job and Melvin instead chose to basically take the year off. He has said that he turned over most in-game decision making to his “associate manager” Ryan Christenson and has said publicly that he took a hands off approach to managing the team overall instead allowing the veteran players to decide what parts of the program they wanted to follow.
Basically he abdicated his responsibility as manager.
THAT is who the article should have been about. Instead Acee focused it on a player who while influential, cannot make a single decision for the team. Decision making is up to the manager.
Do you guys think Michael Wacha will be brought back for 2 years $32m? They have an option. I think they should bring him back.
Is that a mutual option. That’s pretty good money.
If SD declines that option, Wacha can exercise a 2-year, $16M player option.
My understanding is Pads are only obligated to offer 8 and he can reject. If they offer 32 for 2 yrs it’s a done deal.
He looks like damaged goods I think the offer will be 8
4 years/$26M (2023-26)
signed by San Diego as a free agent 2/16/23
$3.5M signing bonus
23:$4M, 24-25: club option at $16M annually
if club declines its 2024-25 option, Wacha has the right to exercise a player option for 3 years/$18.5M (24:$6.5M, 25:$6M, 26:$6M)
performance bonuses for 2023 and any player option seasons: $500,000 each for 20, 25 games started. $1M for 30 GS
He earned the first of those bonuses by getting to 21 starts this season, but wont make the other two
Team option. If they decline he has a much lesser player option he will decline if healthy. Padres probably use their option.
That isn’t getting picked up at this point.
I hope the Padres don’t bring back Wacha and that Wacha does not want to return to the Padres, because I’d like for him to return to the Cardinals.
The Padres are not going to exercise their option. He is injured far too much and too consistently to get that kind of money.
He can also choose to take his player option at 3 years/$18.5 million, but I doubt he does that.
Rumors are that the Padres are interested in retaining him on a 3 year deal with opt-outs. Something in the range of 3/30-32. Basically the same money over a longer period.
It’s not all bad in San Diego, Fernando Tatis has quickly morphed into being one of the top 3 or 4 best RF in the game and Ha Seong Kim is a serious platinum glove candidate.
The Pad’s season has been a lot like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
No depth left them no Choi but to call a .200 hitter up. What a waste.
RETVRN of G$
I thought Choi was still on the Pirates
..that’s how much I’ve watched the pirates down the stretch
Choi looked done that last half of the season with the Rays. I haven’t seen him this year, but last year you could throw him a high fastball and he had no chance of catching up to it.