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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 To Reinstate Fernando Tatis Jr.

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Outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. is going to be reinstated from the 60-day injured list today, reports Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The outfielder is currently on the 60-day IL, so the Friars will need to make a move to open a 40-man roster spot for him.

Tatis, 25, was having a strong season before his injury interruption. He hit .279/.354/.468 in 80 games, producing a wRC+ of 133, while also stealing eight bases and getting defensive grades around league average. He had already accrued 2.3 wins above replacement, in the eyes of FanGraphs, in roughly half a season before suffering a right femoral stress reaction and landing on the injured list.

His return is surely good news for the Padres, though they will now have to make some tough decisions about playing time since so much of their lineup has been performing well. David Peralta has taken over right field while Tatis has been out and currently has a .272/.335/.426 line and 117 wRC+ on the year. Peralta could be moved over to left field but Jurickson Profar is having an even better year, with a .280/.382/.459 slash and 140 wRC+.

The designated hitter spot doesn’t really provide a solution either, as Luis Arráez is in there most days. He is playing through a torn ligament in his thumb and his production is down a bit from previous years, but his .309/.343/.384 line is still above league average, leading to a 106 wRC+. The club could put him at first base but that might exacerbate his thumb issue and Jake Cronenworth is having a solid season there anyway, hitting .249/.326/.408 for a 110 wRC+.

Cronenworth could move to second but the club has Xander Bogaerts there. Bogaerts isn’t having an amazing season overall but has been far better since returning from an IL stint due to a shoulder fracture. He’s hit .325/.360/.431 since coming off the IL for a 124 wRC+. Moving Bogaerts to shortstop while Ha-Seong Kim is on the IL could theoretically help with the logjam but Kim isn’t expected to be out for much longer.

It’s a good problem for the club to have and perhaps it will allow manager Mike Shildt to give all these players a bit of extra rest in the coming weeks. The Padres are tied with the Diamondbacks for the first and second Wild Card spots in the National League. Atlanta is in the third spot, three games back of San Diego and Arizona, with the Mets another game behind Atlanta. That doesn’t guarantee the Padres anything but perhaps everyone can get scattered off-days here and there to stay fresh for the final games on the schedule and then the postseason.

Padres Sign Nick Ahmed To Minors Contract

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The Padres announced that shortstop Nick Ahmed has been signed to a minor league contract.  Ahmed chose free agency a little over a week ago, after the Dodgers designated him for assignment and he cleared waivers.

After spending his first 10 Major League seasons with the Diamondbacks, Ahmed has spent his 11th season as a member of three other NL West teams.  After the D’Backs released Ahmed last September, he caught on with the Giants on a minors contract, and played in 52 big league games before San Francisco designated Ahmed for assignment and released him in July.  Ahmed then signed a guaranteed contract with the Dodgers but was again DFA’ed a couple of weeks ago, and he chose free agency rather than an outright assignment to Triple-A.

The 34-year-old now stays in California and joins a Padres team that is missing its starting shortstop.  Ha-Seong Kim has been on the injured list since August 19 due to shoulder inflammation, and manager Mike Shildt told MLB.com and other reporters that Kim hasn’t yet been cleared to throw across the diamond.  Kim has been working out and taking part in other baseball activities at the Padres’ Spring Training complex, so he is at least making some progress even if the throws remain a question mark.

Mason McCoy and Tyler Wade have been handling the shortstop duties while Kim has been sidelined, and signing Ahmed gives the Padres more depth at the position.  Ahmed has never been a plus hitter and his offense has particularly cratered over the last two seasons, including his .232/.271/.300 slash line over 221 plate appearances this season.  But, the two-time Gold Glove winner is still a strong defender, and San Diego could at least aim to shore up the infield defense while Kim is still on the mend.

The timing of Ahmed’s signing is noteworthy, as his MLB.com profile page reveals that he inked his deal on August 31 instead of today.  This means that Ahmed is eligible to be part of a postseason roster should San Diego reach the playoffs.

Padres Designate Lake Bachar For Assignment, Select Brandon Lockridge

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The Padres announced this morning that they have designated right-hander Lake Bachar for assignment. Bachar’s removal from the 40-man roster makes room for the selection of catcher Elias Diaz to the roster, a move that was first reported yesterday. Additionally, San Diego announced that they’ve selected the contract of outfielder Brandon Lockridge and optioned him to Triple-A. Making room for Lockridge on the 40-man roster is right-hander Stephen Kolek, who has been transferred to the 60-day injured list.

Bachar, 29, was the club’s fifth-round pick back in 2016 and has spent his entire career in the Padres organization. The righty was selected to the club’s 40-man roster a month ago after he triggered an August 1 opt-out clause in his contract with the club and briefly made it to the major league roster last week, but was optioned back to the minors without making his big league debut. The right-hander has a solid 3.89 ERA in 71 2/3 innings of work this year at the Triple-A level and, in the event that he clears waivers, could be a non-roster depth option for the Padres down the stretch if necessary.

Meanwhile, another player who has yet to make his big league debut is joining the club’s 40-man roster in the form of Lockridge. The 27-year-old was a fifth-round pick by the Yankees in the 2018 draft and was acquired by the Padres in the Enyel De Los Santos trade ahead of the deadline back in July. Lockridge’s numbers have been solid but unspectacular at the Triple-A level, as he’s slashed .294/.405/.384 with a wRC+ around 15% better than league average between his time with the Yankees’ and Padres’ affiliates this year.

While Lockridge doesn’t hit for much power with just two home runs so far this year, he flashed impressive discipline at the plate as evidenced by a massive 14.9% walk rate that compares quite favorably to his 23.2% strikeout rate. The outfielder is also an impressive baserunner, as he’s gone 44 for 50 on the basepaths this year after posting 40 steals in 45 attempts last season. That combination of strong plate discipline and blazing speed could make Lockridge an interesting contender for a bench role with the Padres at some point, though for now he’s been optioned back down to Triple-A.

As for Kolek, the right-hander was placed on the IL a month ago due to forearm tendonitis, and his transfer to the 60-day IL will end his regular season. The right-handed rookie posted a lackluster 5.21 ERA in 46 2/3 innings of work with San Diego this year, though his 3.58 FIP and 3.43 SIERA both offer some optimism about the 27-year-old’s ability to post better numbers in the future as he looks ahead to the 2025 campaign.

Padres To Select Elias Diaz

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The Padres are set to select the contract of catcher Elias Diaz tomorrow, according to a report from Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Acee writes that Diaz will take the active roster spot created for a position player by tomorrow’s roster expansion, while left-hander Wandy Peralta will be activated from the 15-day Injured List to take the spot created for a pitcher. Lefty Tom Cosgrove will also be recalled from the minor leagues, though a corresponding move will be necessary to add him to the active roster. A corresponding move to make room on the 40-man roster will be necessary to accommodate Diaz.

Diaz, 33, joined the Padres on a minor league deal earlier this week after being released by the Rockies earlier this month. That release brought to an end a five-season stretch in Colorado that saw Diaz slash a solid .253/.305/.403 in 462 games with the club. That slash line was good for a wRC+ of just 80 due to the inflated offensive environment at Coors Field, but even that diminished figure is still well within the acceptable range for a glove-first catcher. Diaz proved to be a solid if unspectacular regular for the club behind the plate, even earning an All-Star appearance last year.

After a solid start to the 2024 campaign, the Rockies reportedly entertained trade offers for Diaz’s services, but the club’s plans to deal the veteran in his final year before free agency were thrown off course when he suffered a calf strain that caused him to miss three weeks in June. After returning, Diaz’s offense took a nosedive with a .194/.239/.239 slash line in 18 games in the run-up to the deadline. That seemingly scared off suitors to the point where the Rockies weren’t able to get a deal done, and it left them to try placing Diaz on waivers in mid-August in an attempt to find a suitor willing to absorb what remained of his salary. His offensive production had only improved marginally when the calendar flipped to August, however, and the club eventually released Diaz to allow him the opportunity to try and catch on with a contender elsewhere.

He’s now done just that with the Padres, and will have the opportunity to share catching duties with the club’s existing tandem of Luis Campusano and Kyle Higashioka down the stretch. Higashioka is in the midst of a career year at the plate with an excellent .230/.276/.520 slash line and 16 homers in just 215 trips to the plate, while Campusano has endured a bit of a down season with a slash line of just .233/.283/.372 in 87 games. Diaz should offer the club a solid defensive option behind the plate who, if he can regain his early season form, could offer an on-base ability that both of their current catchers lack.

As for Peralta, the veteran lefty has pitched to somewhat middling results in the first year of a complex four-year deal he signed with the Padres this winter. In 34 innings, the 32-year-old hurler has posted a 4.50 ERA despite a 5.70 FIP and a strikeout rate of just 13.6%. He’ll join fellow lefties Tanner Scott, Yuki Matsui, and Adrian Morejon in the club’s bullpen down the stretch, where the club will surely hope for Peralta to recapture the form that allowed him to post a 3.01 ERA in 200 appearances with the Giants and Yankees over the past four seasons.

Padres, Elias Diaz Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Padres are signing catcher Elias Díaz to a minor league contract, tweets Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase. Venezuelan reporter Rafael Petit was first to report (on X) that Díaz and the Padres had come to an agreement.

Díaz has been a free agent since he was released by the Rockies on August 16. He reportedly declined to pursue an opportunity with the Giants because San Francisco wasn’t willing to guarantee he’d remain on the MLB roster after starter Patrick Bailey returned from injury. Díaz won’t immediately jump onto the big league club with San Diego, though a minor league deal now is arguably preferable to a brief major league stint in San Francisco with the possibility of being released in September.

The timing of the signing makes no financial difference for the veteran catcher. Díaz is still guaranteed the entirety of his $6MM salary from Colorado. If San Diego calls him up at any point, they’d pay him the prorated $740K league minimum (which would drop off the Rockies’ books). Díaz has more than six years of MLB service and will return to free agency at the end of the season regardless. His primary goal with this deal is finding a potential path to a playoff roster.

San Diego is eight games ahead of the Giants in the standings, so they’re obviously much more likely to make the postseason. A player only needs to be in an organization — not on the 40-man roster — by the start of September to be eligible for the playoffs. MLB can and frequently does grant permission for players on minor league deals to participate in the postseason as substitutes for injured players. Díaz would be eligible for postseason play with the Friars even if they don’t add him to the MLB roster within the next five days. Had he signed with San Francisco and been released in early September as the corresponding move for Bailey’s return, that would’ve officially precluded him from participating in the postseason.

The Padres have three catchers on the 40-man roster: Luis Campusano, Kyle Higashioka and Brett Sullivan. Aside from Campusano’s two-week injured list stint shortly before the All-Star Break, he and Higashioka have handled the catching work. Higashioka came over from the Yankees as an ancillary piece in the Juan Soto return. The Padres expected him to back up Campusano, but he has actually been the far more productive player. Higashioka has drilled a career-high 15 home runs in 204 plate appearances. While he’s not getting on base consistently, the power and steady defensive work have made him one of the more productive backup catchers in the league.

Campusano, by contrast, has a subpar .231/.274/.373 batting line and well below-average marks for his glovework. He still has an option remaining, so the Padres could send him down without putting him on waivers. It’s also possible they carry three catchers once active rosters expand to 28 in September.

Díaz was hitting .270/.315/.378 through 327 plate appearances before Colorado released him to get their first look at prospect Drew Romo. Much of that production was driven by an elevated batting average on balls in play at Coors Field. Díaz has solid contact skills and hit 14 homers as recently as last season (not including the All-Star Game homer that earned him the game’s MVP honors). He does a strong job controlling the running game and has improved his pitch framing grades this year.

Padres Call Up Lake Bachar For MLB Debut

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12:38PM: The Padres officially promoted Bachar, and optioned right-hander Logan Gillaspie to Triple-A.  Matthew Batten was also outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers; Batten was designated for assignment earlier this week.

9:21AM: The Padres will add right-hander Lake Bachar to the active roster prior to today’s game with the Mets, according to Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune (X link).  Bachar was added to the 40-man roster earlier this month, so the Padres will just have to make one corresponding move to free up space on the 26-man.

The 40-man roster placement came about due to an opt-out clause Bachar triggered in his minor league deal, as the Padres selected that contract in order to keep him in the organization.  The 29-year-old righty was a fifth-round pick for the Padres in 2016, and is now seemingly in line to make his Major League debut in his ninth pro season.  Bachar’s resume consists of seven years on the field plus two lost years in 2020-21 — the pandemic wiped out the 2020 minor league season, and Bachar underwent a Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for all of 2021.

Understandably, Bachar showed some rust when he returned to action in 2022, but he rebounded with a 2.69 ERA over 60 1/3 relief innings for Double-A San Antonio in 2023.  This earned Bachar his first promotion to Triple-A this season, and he has produced a 4.12 ERA, 27.6% strikeout rate, and 10.6% walk rate across 67 2/3 innings for the El Paso affiliate.  Bachar has allowed 11 homers this year, but all things considered, his numbers have been pretty decent for a fly-ball pitcher in a very hitter-friendly league.

As Saunders noted in another piece back in April, Bachar’s turn-around in 2023 was aided by his development of a splitter.  Adding this third pitch along with his 94-97mph fastball and a slider with a lot of horizontal break put Bachar on the path that has now brought him to San Diego’s MLB roster.  Even if this might be a “cup of coffee” type of call-up to get a fresh arm into the Padres’ bullpen for a few days, Bachar can officially call himself a big leaguer once he gets into a game.

Latest On Yu Darvish

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  • Moving over to the NL, the Padres reinstated veteran right-hander Yu Darvish from the restricted list yesterday. Darvish is not yet back on the big league roster, however, as he was placed back on the 15-day injured list. The 38-year-old hurler had been shelved due to hamstring and elbow issues prior to his placement on the restricted list due to an undisclosed family matter in early July. Fortunately, manager Mike Shildt clarified to reporters (including Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union Tribune) earlier today that Darvish is no longer dealing with any physical issues and that his placement on the injured list is instead a mechanism to allow him time to build up toward returning to the club’s rotation. Darvish last threw an official pitch during a minor league rehab assignment back in June and last pitched in the majors on May 29, so it’s hardly a surprise that he’ll need time to build his stamina back up before he can return to the rotation. The veteran was pitching quite well prior to his lengthy layoff, with a 3.20 ERA and 3.52 FIP in 11 starts, and figures to be a major asset for the Padres down the stretch and into the postseason once he’s built up enough stamina to return. The righty will face live hitters tomorrow before the club determines his next steps.

Padres Reinstate Yu Darvish From Restricted List

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The Padres announced that right-hander Yu Darvish has been reinstated from the restricted list and will join the club tonight, though he has been returned to the 15-day injured list. Infielder Matthew Batten was designated for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot for him.

Darvish, 38, began his season strong. He made 11 starts through the end of May, allowing 3.20 earned runs per nine innings, but his campaign has been on pause since then. He landed on the 15-day injured list June 1, retroactive to May 31, due to a left groin strain. He was supposed to return on June 25 but then was sidelined by some inflammation in his throwing elbow.

On July 6, he was transferred to the restricted list due to an undisclosed family matter, with no details about that situation having been made public. Last week, it was reported that Darvish set up a live BP session at a high school, trying to keep himself somewhat ready even while he was away from the club and perhaps demonstrating that he had put his injuries behind him. Whatever the family situation was, it now seems it has been resolved enough for the veteran to turn his attentions back to baseball.

However, he may not immediately join the big league club, as he is still on the injured list. After so much down time, he will likely need some kind of rehab assignment to build back up. Still, the fact that he is back from the restricted list at least provides some clarity and some expectations to a situation that was previously difficult to predict.

The Padres just optioned struggling knuckleballer Matt Waldron, leaving them with a rotation consisting of Joe Musgrove, Dylan Cease, Michael King and Martín Pérez. Whenever Darvish is in game shape, he will jump back into that mix. Until then, the club may need to call upon Randy Vásquez or Jhony Brito to cover Waldron’s spot, or perhaps deploy a bullpen game or two.

Batten, 29, was added to the club’s roster in June of 2022. He has largely been on optional assignment in the two-plus years since then, having appeared in 59 big league games with 164 plate appearances. He has hit .239/.337/.345 in those for a wRC+ of 96. His minor league work has actually been worse, as he has hit .242/.333/.372 at Triple-A El Paso since the start of 2023. In the context of the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, that translates to a wRC+ of 75.

He is in his final option year and will be out of options by next season. With the trade deadline having passed, the Friars will have to place him on waivers in the coming days. Despite the lack of offense, some club may be attracted to his other attributes. He has racked up double-digit steal totals in each minor league season since 2021 and has played every position on the diamond except catcher, including some mop-up duty on the mound. He has less than a year of service time and therefore could potentially be retained for six seasons beyond this one.

Padres Option Matt Waldron

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The Padres optioned starter Matt Waldron to Triple-A El Paso. San Diego recalled reliever Logan Gillaspie to step into the bullpen before tonight’s series opener with the Mets.

Waldron, MLB’s lone knuckleballer, has held a rotation spot all year. He has made 26 starts and is second on the team behind Dylan Cease with 142 2/3 innings. His 4.79 ERA belies decent peripherals. Waldron has a roughly average 21.6% strikeout percentage and has kept his walk rate to a tidy 6.6% clip. Hitters have generally had a tough time making hard contact against him. An abnormally low 67.1% left on base rate is the biggest factor in Waldron allowing nearly five earned runs per nine. ERA estimators like FIP and SIERA suggest his peripherals should point to an ERA in the low-4.00s.

Things have gone downhill over Waldron’s last few starts. He carried a 3.71 ERA into the All-Star Break. He has given up exactly eight earned runs per nine innings in 36 frames during the second half. Waldron has surrendered five-plus runs in four of his last five starts. The Twins blitzed him for 12 hits and 10 runs in 4 1/3 innings last night.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets that the assignment is about giving Waldron some rest before the stretch run. While it’s possible that fatigue has played a role in the righty’s recent struggles, Waldron isn’t too far beyond last year’s innings total. He combined for 133 2/3 frames between the majors and Triple-A a season ago. There seems to be something amiss with his recent skid, so the Padres will give him at least a couple weeks away from big league hitters. A pitcher cannot be recalled from an optional assignment for at least 15 days unless he’s replacing another pitcher who is going on the injured list.

San Diego doesn’t have an off day until September 3. They’ve got a handful of rest days built into their September schedule but will need a full rotation for the next two weeks. The Friars have Cease, Michael King, Joe Musgrove and Martín Pérez in their rotation for now. There’s still not much clarity on whether Yu Darvish will be able to return from the family matter to which he’s attending. Randy Vásquez is the top depth arm on the 40-man roster. He has a 4.63 ERA over 17 major league starts this year and has been hit extremely hard (8.78 ERA) in the Pacific Coast League.

The demotion shouldn’t have much impact on Waldron from a service time perspective. He entered the year with 54 days of MLB service and has already topped the necessary 118 days on the active roster to surpass the one-year service mark in 2024.

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