Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Padres Rumors

Latest On Tommy Pham

By | at

Padres left fielder/designated hitter Tommy Pham suffered a broken hamate bone in his hand less than a month ago, but it doesn’t appear that will bring an end to his season. Rather, the Padres could bring back Pham from the IL “any day,” Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. Pham is even closer to returning than first baseman Eric Hosmer, who landed on the IL on Sept. 8 with a fractured left index finger, according to Acee.

It had been several years since the Padres contended, but they’re in the thick of the race this season with the NL’s second-best record (31-17). The only problem is that they’re stuck in a division with the Dodgers, owners of the NL’s top win-loss mark at 33-14. A division title may be not be in the cards for the Padres, then, but they’re nonetheless a formidable team who should be able to earn a playoff spot in the next couple weeks.

Pham, whenever he returns, could be a key piece of the puzzle for San Diego as it aims for its first-ever World Series. The 32-year-old hit a subpar .207/.316/.293 in 95 plate appearances this season before going on the IL, but the Padres acquired him from the Rays last winter because of his excellent track record. Pham was quietly one of the majors’ most valuable outfielders from 2017-19, during which he slashed .284/.381/.475 with 65 homers and 65 steals over 1,754 trips to the plate between the Cardinals and Rays. If Pham’s able to come back this year, the Padres will hope he revisits his St. Louis/Tampa Bay production from the past.

Giants-Padres Series To Resume On Sunday

By | at

SEPTEMBER 13, 10:19 am: Major League Baseball has officially confirmed today’s doubleheader. Given most recent test results, the league has determined that the test which triggered the initial postponements, reported by Jon Heyman of MLB Network to be that of San Francisco outfielder Alex Dickerson, was a false positive.

SEPTEMBER 13, 9:06 am: Indeed, the teams are scheduled to return to play a doubleheader today, reports Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. As Acee notes, the clubs’ other missed contest figures to be made up when they conclude the season against one another September 25-27.

SEPTEMBER 12: The Giants and Padres could potentially return to the field Sunday for a doubleheader, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports (Twitter link).  The player who originally tested positive for COVID-19 has since had two negative test results, and if other tests are passed tonight, the Giants could be cleared to return to action.

SEPTEMBER 11, 8:49pm: The league announced that it has also postponed Saturday’s game “out of an abundance of caution and to allow for additional testing and contact tracing to be conducted.”

8:29pm: The Padres-Giants game in San Diego on Friday was postponed after one of San Francisco’s players tested positive for the coronavirus, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

“Tonight’s game was postponed due to a positive COVID test within the Giants organization,” the Padres stated. “MLB will announce additional information regarding the status of our series with San Francisco as soon as possible.”

The two teams played Thursday and are scheduled to end their series with a game Sunday, but it’s now unclear whether they’ll be able to take the field over the weekend. There are just two-plus weeks left in the season, and with the Padres and Giants vying for playoff spots, significant changes in their schedules could prove detrimental. Nevertheless, the league will have to make a decision that abides by health and safety protocols. MLB has already seen the virus force notable changes to its schedule, especially for the Marlins and Cardinals.

Padres Sign Int'l Prospect Jose Luis Reyes

By | at

  • The Padres have signed right-hander Jose Luis Reyes, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reports (via Twitter).  Reyes “is considered one of the top prospects in” Mexico, Sanchez writes, and the 18-year-old possesses a three-pitch arsenal of a slider, changeup, and a fastball in the 88-92mph range.  Reyes is 6’2″, 190 pounds.

NL Injury Notes: Pham, Smyly, Turner, Pirates

By | at

Padres outfielder Tommy Pham is less than a month out from a broken hamate bone, but he’s making rapid progress. Pham resumed live on-field batting practice today, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports on Twitter. The 32-year-old had been off to a sluggish start to the year but will still have some time to make his presence felt as the Pads try to angle for postseason position.

More injury updates from the National League …

  • The Giants are preparing to welcome back southpaw Drew Smyly tomorrow, manager Gabe Kapler tells reporters including John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). It’ll be interesting to see what the veteran hurler can deliver down the stretch. Though he hasn’t been available for many innings, he turned in a few interesting outings that hinted at a resurgence.
  • While there’s little reason to rush, the Dodgers are close to activating rehabbing third baseman Justin Turner. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register (Twitter link) that Turner still hasn’t put his tender hamstring through the full paces. Nevertheless, the club expects to have him active within the week, though Turner could initially function as a DH.
  • The Pirates provided a few pitching rehab updates, some more promising than others (via MLB.com’s Adam Berry, on Twitter). Mitch Keller (side injury) and Jameson Taillon (Tommy John) are each throwing sim games, while reliever Keone Kela is now participating in mound work. It’s still unclear how much MLB action each of those hurlers will be capable of late this year, but that’s generally encouraging news. The situation is different for fellow righty Yacksel Rios, who remains sidelined by shoulder woes. He was shut down after symptoms flared up.

60-Man Player Pool Additions: 9/9/20

By | at

Here are the latest players added to their team’s 60-man player pool …

  • Hurlers Penn Murfee and Ian McKinney are now a part of the Mariners’ 60-man group, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times tweets. The 26-year-old Murfee had a strong 2019 showing, producing good numbers at the High-A level and then dominating Arizona Fall League hitters. It’s possible he could be an option at the MLB level if he shows well at the alternate training site. The same holds true of McKinney, 25, who joined Murfee as a productive member of the Modesto rotation last year. McKinney is a 2013 draftee who joined the Seattle organization as a minor-league free agent in advance of the 2019 season.
  • The Rays brought aboard a pair of youngsters in righty Seth Johnson and infielder Ford Proctor, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times covers on Twitter. The 40th overall pick of the 2019 draft, Johnson hasn’t pitched above the Rookie ball level and is likely being added for developmental purposes. Proctor, 23, is a 2018 third-rounder who has shown strong on-base ability but little power in the low minors. He appeared this year in the Constellation Energy League, knocking out a healthy .346/.500/.679 slash in 28 games.
  • The Padres have added youngster Owen Caissie to their pool at just 18 years of age, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports via Twitter. It’s quite the vote of confidence in the recent second-round pick, who obviously won’t be expected to make his professional debut this year at the MLB level. The Canadian outfielder will get some excellent experience at the Friars’ alternate training site before joining an affiliate in 2021.

Padres Release Travis Radke

By | at

  • The Padres have released left-hander Travis Radke, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets. He had been a part of the Padres’ 60-man player pool. Radke will now look for a second organization after spending the first several years of his pro career with the Padres, who chose him in the 25th round of the 2014 draft. The 27-year-old had a successful minor league tenure as a member of the Padres, with whom he recorded a 3.24 ERA in 183 1/3 innings. He ended his Pads stint last year with 71 2/3 frames of 2.64 ERA pitching and 9.5 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9 among their High-A, Double-A and Triple-A levels.

Padres Place Eric Hosmer On 10-Day Injured List

By | at

4:52pm: Hosmer’s now on the 10-day injured list, San Diego announced. The team recalled outfielder Abraham Almonte to fill Hosmer’s roster spot.

3:14pm: Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer suffered a fractured left index finger on a bunt attempt against the Rockies on Monday, disrupting what has been his best season in San Diego. Fortunately for him and the Padres, though, there’s hope Hosmer will be able to return by the last week of the regular season, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

When the Padres signed Hosmer to an eight-year, $144MM contract entering 2018, their hope was that the former Royal would be a consistently valuable contributor on a perennial playoff team. Both Hosmer and the Padres fell flat in the first two years of the contract, but their fortunes have turned around this season. With the 30-year-old Hosmer riding a newfound fly ball-oriented approach to a line of .288/.344/.542 (good for a career-high 137 wRC+) with eight home runs in 128 plate appearances, the Padres are 26-17 and in possession of the National League’s No. 1 wild-card spot.

While losing this version of Hosmer is less than ideal for the Padres, they did make contingency plans at first base before the Aug. 31 trade deadline, acquiring Mitch Moreland from the Red Sox. Moreland looks as if he’ll see the bulk of the work at the position until Hosmer’s back. Although Moreland has also seen time as a DH since joining the Padres, it appears they’ll have to shuffle multiple players into that spot for at least the next couple weeks.

Eric Hosmer Leaves With Left Finger Injury

By | at

  • Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer departed their game Monday against the Rockies with a left finger injury, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com tweets. San Diego plugged in the just-acquired Mitch Moreland in place of Hosmer, who’s in the third season of an eight-year, $144MM contract and has easily enjoyed his best campaign as a Padre. Thanks in part to an increase in fly balls, Hosmer has slashed .291/.346/.547 (a career-high 138 wRC+) with eight home runs in 127 plate appearances. Hosmer’s rebound from a couple of mediocre seasons has contributed to the Padres’ 25-17 start.

Padres Recall Jorge Ona

By | at

The Padres announced that they’ve called up outfield prospect Jorge Ona. They optioned righty Luis Patino to their alternate training site in a corresponding move. Ona will debut as the Padres’ designated hitter against Colorado on Monday, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.

As Cassavell notes, the hope is that Ona will give the Padres more power from the right side of the plate. They were counting on high-end prospect Luis Campusano, whom they promoted Friday, to provide that. However, Campusano went on the injured list on Sunday after three at-bats (and a home run) because of a left wrist sprain.

Unlike Campusano, Ona is not a top 100 caliber prospect, though the Cuba native did join the club for a pricey $7MM bonus in 2016. Ona was obviously regarded as an international gem at the time, but he hasn’t quite lived up to the hype yet. Still, four years after signing, he remains a promising part of the Padres’ loaded farm system, ranking as one of their top 30 prospects at MLB.com (No. 24), FanGraphs (30) and Baseball America (30). The 23-year-old was dominant last season in Double-A, where he slashed .348/.417/.539 in 102 plate appearances, but Ona saw his campaign come to an end in July when he underwent right shoulder surgery.

Padres Place Luis Campusano On IL

By | at

The Padres have placed rookie catcher Luis Campusano on the 10-day injured list with a left wrist sprain, reports AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. After homering in his Major League debut, Campusano was scratched from Saturday’s game—which would have been his first MLB start at catcher. San Diego has promoted RHP Taylor Williams, taking Campusano’s spot on the active roster.

As of now, there’s no word on the expected timeline for the return of the 21-year-old Campusano, who made his first Major League appearance just two days ago. A former second-round draft choice, Campusano is viewed as a consensus top-100 prospect in baseball—one who could have improved the Padres’ lackluster catching situation.

Of course, after a series of deadline deals that overhauled the catcher position in San Diego, it wasn’t clear how many opportunities Campusano would get behind the plate in the first place. With new additions Austin Nola and Jason Castro in place, the rookie would have plenty of competition for at-bats, both at catcher and at DH (with newly acquired Mitch Moreland on board as well).

Nonetheless, it’s disappointing that we’ll have to wait for a longer look at yet another promising youngster ascending the ranks of the San Diego organization. He gave fans plenty to dream on with a homer in his first Major League game, but we’ll have to table those expectations for the time being.

Meanwhile, Taylor Williams is set to make his Padres debut after spending the first half of the season with the Mariners. He was acquired by the Padres in one of this year’s low-profile trade deadline deals. He’s by no means a world-beating reliever, but he offers some upside as a depth contributor, and it was no secret the Padres sought exactly that as they hunt for the postseason. Despite a 5.93 ERA in 13 2/3 innings with Seattle, Williams has a solid 19:7 K:BB ratio, which points to a more promising 3.51 FIP.

AJAX Loader
Load More Posts
Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrows scroll to top