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Jose Azocar

Braves Sign Jose Azocar, Transfer AJ Smith-Shawver To 60-Day IL

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The Braves announced this morning that they’ve selected the contract of outfielder Jose Azocar to the major league roster. Azocar just elected free agency two days ago after being outrighted by the Mets. Atlanta hadn’t announced their signing of him, but it seems he signed a minor league pact and has quickly been summoned to the majors. In a concerning development, righty AJ Smith-Shawver, who was recently placed on the IL due to an elbow strain, has already been transferred to the 60-day injured list. He’ll now miss at least two months of action.

Atlanta also placed outfielder Stuart Fairchild on the 10-day IL with a dislocated pinkie finger, optioned righty Michael Petersen to Triple-A Gwinnett and recalled left-hander Dylan Dodd.

Azocar, 29, appeared in a dozen games for the Mets this year and went 5-for-18 (all singles). He’s seen action in each of the past four MLB seasons, primarily with the Padres, and carries a career .245/.290/.320 slash with two homers and 19 steals in 417 plate appearances.

The righty-swinging Azocar’s game is focused on defense and baserunning, much like the injured Fairchild, who he’s effectively replacing on Atlanta’s roster. Azocar is actually a narrow tick faster, averaging 28.9 ft/sec to Fairchild’s 28.7, per Statcast’s measurements. The specifics aren’t all that important with a gap that small; the larger takeaway is that the Braves aren’t losing any speed off the bench and are swapping out the injured Fairchild for another solid defender who can handle all three outfield spots. There is, however, a notable gap in offensive skill set. Neither is a plus hitter overall, but Fairchild has solid splits against lefties in his big league career. Azocar, despite swinging right-handed, actually has considerably better career marks versus righties than lefties.

The news on Smith-Shawver comes as a significant concern. He started the first game of yesterday’s doubleheader but was tagged for two runs in 2 2/3 innings before departing with elbow discomfort. Atlanta placed him on the 15-day IL with an elbow strain between starts. The immediate move to the 60-day IL rules Smith-Shawver out until at least late July, and the specter of an even lengthier absence will now loom until the Braves provide a more detailed update on his status.

Smith-Shawver’s injury is the latest in a long line of notable injuries for Atlanta this year. The former top prospect was among the leaders in a weak National League Rookie of the Year field. Through his first seven starts, Smith-Shawver coasted to a terrific 2.33 ERA, fanning nearly a quarter of his opponents (albeit against a less-encouraging 10.6% walk rate). Things have taken an ugly turn over his past two starts. The Nats trounced him for seven runs in three innings last week, and he was shaky before being lifted from yesterday’s start.

Smith-Shawver joins Reynaldo Lopez and Joe Jimenez as key pitchers on the 60-day injured list for the Braves. Atlanta has also endured notable absences from ace Spencer Strider, star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. and catcher Sean Murphy, though all three are healthy and active at the moment.

Jose Azocar Elects Free Agency

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Outfielder José Azocar elected free agency after being outrighted by the Mets, relays Mike Puma of The New York Post. He’d been designated for assignment over the weekend. It’s the second time in the past couple months in which Azocar went unclaimed on waivers. Players with multiple career outrights can test free agency.

Azocar will be limited to minor league offers but could look for a team with less outfield depth. He didn’t have much of a path to playing time behind Brandon Nimmo, Tyrone Taylor, Juan Soto and fourth outfielder Starling Marte. The Mets had carried him on the MLB roster since April 17, and he only started five games in as many weeks. Azocar made an appearance as a pinch-runner the night before being DFA, the first time he’d played in any capacity since May 14.

The 29-year-old Azocar spent parts of three seasons in the big leagues with the Padres. He operated as a speed and defense specialist off the bench. Azocar hit .243/.287/.322 with a couple home runs and 18 stolen bases in just under 400 plate appearances in a San Diego uniform. The Mets added him via waivers last September. They kept him on an optional assignment to Triple-A for the rest of that season.

That was his final option year, so the Mets had to carry him on the MLB roster or expose him to waivers this year. He went unclaimed at the end of Spring Training. The Mets brought him back up after a couple weeks in Triple-A, where he’d been hitting .244 with a .367 on-base mark over 11 games. Azocar has a .286/.322/.434 slash in nearly 900 career Triple-A plate appearances. He’s a plus-plus runner with more than 5000 professional innings of center field experience.

Mets Designate Genesis Cabrera, Jose Azocar For Assignment

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The Mets designated lefty reliever Génesis Cabrera and outfielder José Azocar for assignment. That clears a pair of active roster spots for Brandon Waddell and Jared Young, each of whom were recalled from Triple-A Syracuse. Cabrera and Azocar are both out of options, so the Mets needed to DFA them to take them off the big league roster. Their 40-man roster count drops to 38.

Cabrera and Azocar had each been selected onto the MLB team in recent weeks. The former was called up after the team lost A.J. Minter and Danny Young to season-ending surgeries. The 28-year-old Cabrera made six appearances, allowing three runs across 7 2/3 innings. He struck out seven and walked three while averaging around 96 MPH on his fastball. It wasn’t a bad showing altogether.

Unfortunately for Cabrera, he’s a victim of circumstance. The Mets and Dodgers played 13 innings last night. Cabrera went two of them on 20 pitches and probably wouldn’t have been available today. In addition to the four extra frames, that game featured a lengthy third-inning rain delay that forced the Mets to lift starter Griffin Canning rather than try to ramp him back up after the layoff. As a result, all eight members of New York’s bullpen pitched in the eventual 7-5 loss. Waddell hasn’t pitched in six days at Triple-A and is all but certain to get some work behind David Peterson tonight.

Azocar is a more straightforward roster cut. He has been the clear fifth outfielder since the Mets selected his contract on April 17. He has only started five games in as many weeks. Azocar made an appearance as a pinch-runner last night, the first time he’d played in any capacity since May 14. They’ll swap him out for Young, who signed a split deal over the offseason and will be making his team debut. A lefty-swinging corner outfielder/first baseman, Young is hitting .259/.371/.506 with five homers over 22 games in Syracuse. He’ll provide more of a bat-first profile off Carlos Mendoza’s bench.

The Mets have five days to trade Cabrera and Azocar or place them on waivers. There’s a chance they’ll find minor trade interest in Cabrera, though Azocar seems likelier to hit waivers and go unclaimed (as he did during Spring Training). Both players have a previous career outright, meaning they’d each be able to decline a minor league assignment and elect free agency if they clear waivers.

Mets Select José Azócar

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The Mets announced that they have selected the contract of outfielder José Azócar. Fellow outfielder Jose Siri has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a left tibia fracture. The club also optioned right-hander Justin Hagenman and recalled right-hander Max Kranick. The 40-man roster already had a couple of vacancies, so no corresponding move was required in that department.

It was reported late on Monday that Siri had a fracture and would be placed on the injured list but the Mets delayed the move until today. That was seemingly a conscious decision the club made in order to take advantage of a roster technicality. A pitcher optioned to the minors cannot be recalled for 15 days, unless they are replacing an injured player.

Yesterday, the Mets recalled Hagenman to work a spot start of sorts, optioning Kranick out to make room for him on the roster. The scheduled starter was Griffin Canning but he had come down with an illness and was pushed by a few days. Hagenman didn’t technically start, as Huascar Brazobán served as an opener, but Hagenman did eat 3 1/3 innings after that. By delaying Siri’s IL placement until today, the Mets were able to bring Kranick back just one day after optioning him, as he is technically taking the place of an injured player.

While that sequence of events helped them out on the pitching side, the position player group has been short-handed, with Siri taking up a bench spot while unable to play. Now they can finally get back to full strength with today’s moves.

Azócar, 29 in May, was claimed off waivers from the Padres in September and mostly kept on optional assignment. But he exhausted his final option year in 2024 and was therefore out of options going into 2025. He didn’t make the club’s Opening Day roster and was designated for assignment on Opening Day, but he passed through waivers unclaimed and stuck around as non-roster depth until today.

Broadly speaking, he’s been a speed-and-defense outfielder thus far. He stepped to the plate 397 times with the Padres over the 2022-24 seasons but hit .243/.287/.322 for a 74 wRC+. However, has stole 18 bases, though also got caught 9 times. In 1,011 outfield innings, he’s been credited with two Defensive Runs Saved and eight Outs Above Average.

The Mets have Juan Soto and Brandon Nimmo in the outfield corners but center field has been a weak spot thus far. Siri hit .050/.208/.100 before fouling a ball off his leg and suffering his aforementioned fracture. Tyrone Taylor, who has been splitting the spot with Siri, has a .163/.200/.209 line on the year.

As mentioned, Azócar hasn’t hit much in his major league career, but the minor league numbers have generally been better. He has a .283/.333/.434 line and 93 wRC+ dating back to the start of 2021. That includes a .244/.367/.366 showing and 109 wRC+ so far this year. He could try to push Taylor for some playing time or just serve as a solid bench guy who can do some pinch-running and/or defensive replacement work. As mentioned, he is out of options, so he would have to be pushed off the 40-man if the Mets want him off the active roster when Siri gets back.

Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images

Mets Designate Alexander Canario, Outright Jose Azocar

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TODAY: Azocar cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A, DiComo reports.  There isn’t any word yet on Canario’s status.

MARCH 27: The Mets will designate outfielders Alexander Canario and Jose Azocar for assignment today, reports Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. It was already reported earlier in the week that Canario didn’t make the club and likely would be removed from the 40-man roster. Both outfielders are out of minor league options and thus cannot be sent to Triple-A unless they first clear waivers.

It’s the second time Canario has been bumped from a 40-man roster this spring. The Cubs cut him loose and traded him to the Mets for cash earlier in March.

The 24-year-old Canario (25 in May) has light-tower raw power but staggering strikeout issues that have been apparent throughout his time in the minors and his brief time in the majors. He fanned in more than 30% of his Triple-A plate appearances last season and has gone down on strikes in 42% of his small sample of MLB plate appearances. Canario’s 63.5% contact rate in Triple-A last year would’ve ranked last in the majors by more than two percentage points, and in his 45 MLB trips to the plate he’s made contact at an even lower 59.8% clip.

It’s a glaring and troubling contact profile. Canario has big time power when he does put bat to ball, as evidenced by a 37-homer campaign on his minor league resume, but that came back in 2022. Canario’s offensive output has declined in each of the past two minor league seasons. He’s still hit at an above-average level, but the combined .257/.345/.502 output (115 wRC+) over those two years is a ways shy of the 133 wRC+ he posted during that 37-homer campaign. He’s had a nice spring, hitting .306/.419/.611 with three homers in 43 plate appearances, but the contact problems loom large; he’s also fanned 15 times — a 34.9% rate.

Canario is an average runner or slightly below and is generally considered a corner outfielder rather than a center fielder. A club looking for some low-cost thump in the outfield corners could certainly take a look, but Canario’s skill set (corner only, middling contact) is one that gives many front offices pause (hence the multiple DFAs this spring).

As for Azocar, he’s more of a prototypical, speed-and-defense focused fourth outfielder. The 28-year-old (29 in May) has played in three big league seasons with the Padres and posted a .243/.287/.322 slash in 397 plate appearances. He’s a career .288/.320/.438 hitter in 799 Triple-A plate appearances and logged a .250/.283/.318 line in 46 trips to the plate this spring. He has glaring platoon splits, but not in the manner most would expect; the righty-swinging Azocar is a much better hitter against right-handed pitching to this point in his young big league career.

Statcast credited Azocar with 91st percentile sprint speed in 2024, though he’s had some issues on the basepaths despite that plus speed, succeeding in only 18 of his 27 stolen base attempts (66.7%). Azocar can play all three outfield positions at a high level.

Both players will be in DFA limbo for a maximum of one week. The Mets can place them on waivers at any point in the next five days and can also explore trade possibilities during that time. If there’s no trade by day five, they’ll both be placed on waivers, which are a 48-hour process themselves.

Mets Claim José Azocar

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The Mets announced that they have claimed outfielder José Azocar off waivers from the Padres and optioned him to Triple-A. The Friars had designated him for assignment in recent days. Right-hander Sean Reid-Foley has been transferred to the 60-day injured list to open up a 40-man roster spot.

Azocar, 28, has been with on the Padres’ roster for most of the past three years, serving as a frequently-optioned speed-and-defense depth outfielder. His contract was selected in April of 2022 and he has since been put into 214 games, though only sent to the plate 397 times.

Offensively, Azocar doesn’t bring too much to the table. He has hit .243/.287/.322 in those plate appearances at the major league level, with that production translating to a 74 wRC+. It’s a fairly similar story in the minors, as he has taken 438 trips to the plate at the Triple-A level since the start of 2023 with a line of .276/.309/.402. In the inflated offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League, that leads to a wRC+ of just 70.

But he can provide value elsewhere. He has just over 1,000 innings in the outfield in his major league career, playing all three slots on the grass. He is just a bit above average in the eyes of Defensive Runs Saved, coming in at +2, but Outs Above Average gives him a stronger grade of +8. OAA is particularly fond of his center field work, with a +5 mark up the middle.

Azocar is in his final option season, meaning he will have less roster flexibility next year. The Padres nudged him off their 40-man when Fernando Tatis Jr. came off the 60-day IL, but the Mets will stash him at Syracuse for the time being. They currently have an outfield mix of Brandon Nimmo, Harrison Bader, Jesse Winker, Starling Marte and Tyrone Taylor, with J.D. Martinez in the designated hitter slot.

Some of the guys in that group have notable injury histories, so Azocar can give the club some glove-first depth for the rest of the year. He has less than two years of service time and can therefore be controlled well into the future, but clinging to his roster spot will become more challenging in the long run.

As for Reid-Foley, he has spent most of this season on the IL due to right shoulder issues. He landed on the shelf on Opening Day due to a right shoulder impingement and was activated in late April. He was on the active roster for two months before going back on the IL, again due to a shoulder impingement. This transfer to the 60-day IL is a formality since he has already been out for longer than that, meaning he can be reinstated whenever he’s healthy. Earlier this week, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to return before the end of the season, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com on X.

Padres Designate José Azocar For Assignment

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The Padres announced that they have reinstated outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. from the 60-day injured list, as previously reported. In corresponding moves, they optioned outfielder Bryce Johnson and designated outfielder José Azocar for assignment.

Azocar, 28, has been largely serving as a speed-and-defense depth player for the Padres in recent years. He has appeared in 214 games over the 2022-24 seasons but only been sent to the plate 397 times. He has produced a batting line of .243/.287/.322 in those trips to the plate, which translates to a 74 wRC+. But he has stolen 18 bases while also producing eight Outs Above Average and two Defensive Runs Saved in the outfield.

The Friars have frequently optioned him to the minors in that time but he will be out of options after this year. That would have made it harder for the Padres to keep him on the 40-man, so he’s been bumped off today. He also hasn’t helped his case much with the bat in the minors, as he has slashed .276/.309/.402 in 438 plate appearances at Triple-A since the start of 2023, production that leads to a wRC+ of 70.

Since we are in the post-deadline part of the schedule, the Friars will have to put Azocar on waivers in the coming days. If any club has interest in Azocar’s particular skill set, they could put in a claim and then keep Azocar on optional assignment for the rest of the year, though he will have less roster flexibility in the long run.

Padres Place Fernando Tatis Jr. On Injured List

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Monday marked a busy day on the transaction front for the Padres. San Diego placed star right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to June 22, with a right femoral stress reaction. The Friars also optioned outfielder José Azocar and right-hander Jhony Brito to Triple-A El Paso. Filling the three spots on the active roster: outfielder Bryce Johnson, infielder Eguy Rosario and right-hander Adam Mazur. Johnson was not on the 40-man roster, but the Friars have had a vacancy for weeks.

The Tatis injury is the biggest development. Manager Mike Shildt indicated that Tatis could play through the issue but that it wouldn’t fully heal without rest (X link via Annie Heilbrunn of the San Diego Union-Tribune). The team isn’t providing a specific return timetable, though they expect it to be longer than the minimal 10 days. It’s not out of the question that Tatis is sidelined through the All-Star Break.

Any absence is a major blow to the San Diego lineup. Tatis has been one of the top outfielders in the National League this year. He’s hitting .279/.354/.468 with 14 home runs across 345 plate appearances. Tatis has trimmed his strikeout rate to a career-low 20.6% clip while making hard contact on a massive 53.4% of batted balls. There’s no easy way to replace that kind of production.

It seems the Pads could roll with a David Peralta/Johnson platoon in right field for the time being. The lefty-swinging Peralta is only hitting .204/.306/.241 over 25 games since being called up last month. Johnson, a switch-hitter, has yet to play in the majors this season. San Diego signed the 28-year-old to a minor league deal in January. The former Giant has reached base at a massive .430 clip over 259 plate appearances with El Paso. Johnson is hitting .301 while drawing walks more than 15% of the time. He has also swiped 18 bases in 20 attempts. Johnson is in the lineup against Patrick Corbin this evening.

Mazur returns to the big leagues just three days after being optioned. (He didn’t need to wait the minimal 15 days because he is technically being recalled to replace the injured Tatis.) In actuality, he’s more directly a replacement for Yu Darvish. San Diego anticipated the right-hander returning from the injured list tomorrow. However, Heilbrunn tweets that Darvish is battling some inflammation in his throwing elbow. While Shildt downplayed the long-term concern, he won’t be ready for MLB action tomorrow.

Darvish has been out since May 30 with a strained left groin. The late revelation of a new elbow concern is suboptimal, though it doesn’t seem the Padres are especially alarmed at this point. The injury will force San Diego to turn back to the 23-year-old Mazur for his fifth big league start. The former second-round pick has allowed 14 runs over his first 17 1/3 innings. Mazur has walked more than 19% of batters faced, a bizarre issue for a pitcher who has shown pristine control in his minor league career.

Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune observed (on X) that Johnson was in the clubhouse prior to the team announcement.

Padres Select Alfonso Rivas, Activate Manny Machado

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The Padres announced they’ve selected first baseman/corner outfielder Alfonso Rivas onto the big league roster. San Diego also activated Manny Machado from the 10-day injured list, placed designated hitter Nelson Cruz on the 10-day IL with a right hamstring strain, and optioned outfielder José Azocar to Triple-A El Paso. In order to open a 40-man roster spot for Rivas, catcher Luis Campusano has moved from the 10-day to the 60-day IL.

Rivas signed a minor league deal with the Padres over the winter. The Chula Vista native had previously appeared in the big leagues with the Cubs. He impressed in an 18-game rookie showing in 2021 but struggled over a longer stretch of play last year. The lefty-swinging Rivas has a .247/.331/.322 line with four home runs and a lofty 30.7% strikeout rate against MLB pitching.

Chicago released Rivas in January. He secures another MLB look with his hometown club following a huge showing in Triple-A. Rivas is hitting .319/.440/.571 over 200 trips to the dish in El Paso. He’s taken a walk in a massive 17% of his plate appearances with a lower than average 18.5% strikeout percentage. Minor league success is nothing new for the University of Arizona product. Rivas is a career .294/.398/.434 hitter below the MLB level.

With Cruz landing on the IL, the Padres had room to add another bat. Rivas joins Matt Carpenter and Brandon Dixon as bat-first options off the bench. Cruz, signed to a $1MM deal over the winter, hasn’t made the impact the team had expected. The veteran slugger owns only a .238/.270/.381 mark over 111 trips to the plate.

Middling production towards the bottom of the lineup has been an issue for San Diego. The Friars rank 23rd in run scoring, leading to a 26-30 record that has them in fourth place in the National League West. Machado has an uncharacteristic .231/.282/.372 line himself, and his tough season continued when he suffered a tiny fracture in his hand on a hit by pitch a couple weeks ago. That cost him around two weeks of action.

Campusano has been out since mid-April with a left thumb injury. He underwent surgery last month and isn’t expected back until the All-Star Break. His IL transfer backdates to the April placement and there was no way he’d return in the next couple weeks. That makes this no more than a procedural transaction.

Padres Designate Adam Engel For Assignment

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The Padres announced that outfielder Adam Engel has been designated for assignment.  The move opens up a roster spot for Jose Azocar, who has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list.

Left elbow inflammation sent Azocar to the IL (retroactively) on May 3, and he received a cortisone shot to help heal up.  Azocar collected two hits for Triple-A El Paso yesterday, and that will end up being the only game of Azocar’s minor league rehab assignment before his return to the Show.  Azocar has hit only .244/.262/.293 over 45 plate appearances for San Diego this season, but he’ll step back into his customary backup outfield role, displacing Engel in the process.

Engel began the season on the IL with a hamstring injury, and didn’t make his season debut until May 7.  He has appeared in only five games and gone 0-for-6 over six plate appearances, and two of his appearances came as a pinch-runner.  While not exactly a lengthy audition for Engel, the Padres appear more comfortable with Azcoar as their fourth outfielder, though San Diego’s roster is a little crowded by a DH-only player in Nelson Cruz, and a mostly-DH in Matt Carpenter.

The Padres signed Engel to a one-year, $1MM deal this past winter, so they are still responsible for the roughly $700K owed to the outfielder in remaining salary unless another team claims Engel off waivers or a trade is worked out.  In all likelihood, Engel will clear waivers, so a new club could pick him up at only the cost of the prorated MLB minimum salary, leaving the Padres covering the rest of that $700K.  Engel has enough MLB service time that he can refuse an outright assignment from the Padres in order to return to free agency.

Engel has a respectable track record as a defensive player and baserunner, even if his career .224/.279/.349 slash line over 1546 PA (all with the White Sox before 2023) is subpar.  Outfield-needy teams seem likely to check in on Engel for a no-risk minor league deal, since the Padres are footing the bill for the remainder of his 2023 contract.

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