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Ha-Seong Kim Not Close To Return, May Require Offseason Labrum Surgery

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The Padres have had to lock down a Wild Card spot without Ha-Seong Kim. The shortstop jammed his right shoulder diving into first base on a pickoff attempt on August 18. The Padres placed him on the injured list a couple days later with a diagnosis of shoulder inflammation.

San Diego initially expressed optimism it would be a short-term absence. Kim has instead been out for more than five weeks and is not on the verge of a return. Manager Mike Shildt provided a disappointing update on the Gwynn & Chris show on 97.3 The Fan in San Diego tonight (X link).

“He just hasn’t been able to get over that hump with his throwing,” Shildt said. “The hitting’s not a problem, that part’s good, but he hasn’t been able to consistently throw with anything behind it. … We’re still weighing what’s taking place, but right now, he’s not in a spot where we can count on him in the very near future.” In response to a follow-up question as to whether there’s a date at which the window for Kim to return this season officially closes, Shildt replied “there is, and we may be getting there.”

Making matters worse, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports (on X) that Kim could require an offseason labrum repair. That’d be a brutal blow as he returns to free agency. The guaranteed portion of his four-year deal is coming to a close. As is the case with most players signing out of Korea or Japan, he’s eligible for free agency despite having less than six years of MLB service. Kim will decline his end of an $8MM mutual option for next season. He’ll collect a $2MM buyout and return to the market.

If healthy, he has a case for a strong four-year deal. Kim’s ability to play plus defense throughout the infield has been incredibly valuable. He stole 38 bases a season ago and has gone 22-27 on the basepaths this season. Kim doesn’t have overwhelming power, but he has gotten into double-digit home run territory in three straight years. He draws plenty of walks and rarely strikes out.

Kim hit .233/.330/.370 over 470 plate appearances during the regular season. He carries a .250/.336/.385 slash since the start of 2022. As of a couple months ago, Kim’s durability had ironically been one of his biggest selling points. This is the first time in his four MLB campaigns that he has landed on the injured list.

It’ll take at least a few more weeks to learn the impact of the injury on Kim’s free agent stock. The more immediate focus for the Padres is on their playoff infield. San Diego has kicked Xander Bogaerts back to the left side of the dirt. Jake Cronenworth has moved over to second base. That opens first base playing time for Donovan Solano and some defensive reps for primary DH Luis Arraez, with David Peralta drawing into the lineup at designated hitter while Arraez is in the field. The Padres called up Nick Ahmed last weekend to work as a defensive specialist behind Bogaerts.

Padres Select Nick Ahmed

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The Padres announced this afternoon that they’ve selected the contract of shortstop Nick Ahmed. To accommodate the addition of Ahmed to the club’s active and 40-man rosters, infielder Mason McCoy was placed on the 10-day injured list due to back inflammation while right-hander Jhony Brito was recalled to the majors before being placed on the 60-day IL due to a right elbow strain.

Ahmed, 34, was a second-round pick by the Braves back in 2011 but spent his entire big league career as a member of the Diamondbacks until this year. Ahmed spent parts of ten seasons in the desert, slashing a relatively lackluster .234/.288/.376 (73 wRC+) during that time. He still proved to be an incredibly valuable asset to the Snakes thanks to his elite glovework at shortstop, however, as evidenced by his +80 Defensive Runs Saved and +110 Outs Above Average at the position during his time with Arizona.

While he battled injuries throughout his time with the club that kept him from starting even 100 games more than four times, Ahmed nonetheless took home two Gold Glove awards and was among the better all-around shortstops in the game from 2018 to 2019 as he posted an 88 wRC+ and 7.4 fWAR in 311 games during that two-year stretch. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse starting in 2021, as he Ahmed would appear in just 218 games over the next three years while slashing a paltry .219/.272/.336 at the plate while his defense regressed in the field. Between Ahmed’s steady decline and the emergence of Geraldo Perdomo in Arizona, Ahmed headed into free agency following the 2023 season in search of a new home.

In doing so, he’s coincidentally begun something of a tour of the other clubs in the AL West. Ahmed started the 2024 campaign with the Giants after signing with the club on a minor league deal over the offseason. He appeared in 52 games with the club but slashed just .232/.278/.303 in that time before being released back in July when San Francisco decided to turn towards Tyler Fitzgerald at shortstop down the stretch. It wasn’t long before Ahmed found a new team, however, and he signed a big league deal with the Dodgers shortly before the trade deadline to offer the club some depth at shortstop amid injuries to Mookie Betts and Miguel Rojas. Ahmed remained with the club for just under a month, hitting .229/.245/.292 in 17 games before eventually being designated for assignment and electing free agency.

After signing a minor league deal with the Padres just prior to the deadline for postseason eligibility on September 1, Ahmed is now set to join his third NL West club of the season and fourth of his career. With shortstop Ha-Seong Kim currently on the IL due inflammation in his right shoulder and no return in sight, Ahmed can provide the club with additional depth at shortstop behind Xander Bogaerts as the club gears up for the playoffs. Bogaerts was moved off shortstop over the offseason due to Kim’s status as a superior defender and struggled badly early in the year, but since returning from the injured list in mid-July has turned things around with a solid .296/.338/.436 slash line over his last 58 games.

While the club’s infield currently appears to be full with some combination of Luis Arraez, Donovan Solano, and Jake Cronenworth handling first base, second base, and DH on most days, Ahmed could push Bogaerts to second base on occasion against left-handed pitching to give Cronenworth or Arraez a day off in a tough match-up or late in games as a defensive replacement. Ahmed joins Tyler Wade, David Peralta, and Elias Diaz among the likely bench options for the club headed into the postseason.

As for Brito, the right-hander last appeared in a game at the major or minor league level over a month ago, so it’s hardly a surprise that he’s been nursing an injury. The righty’s first season with the Padres comes to a close with a 4.12 ERA and 3.72 FIP in 43 2/3 innings of work as an optionable multi-inning relief option for the club out of the bullpen, and the 26-year-old appears likely to enter 2025 poised to fill a similar role with the club going forward.

The Juan Soto Blockbuster Has Been Even Better Than Expected

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Last winter's Juan Soto trade was the biggest in a long while -- probably the most significant since the previous Soto deal. The Padres were slashing payroll and didn't want to accommodate a salary north of $30MM for his final year of arbitration. Extension talks never got off the ground. The Padres were about to lose four potential starting pitchers to free agency, leaving them with Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, and a bunch of questions.

San Diego determined to build their return for Soto around MLB-ready starting pitching. They'd not only shed payroll but directly address the biggest need on the roster. It's impossible to trade Juan Soto and not deal a huge hit to the lineup, but the Padres could mitigate some of that loss by bringing back rotation help. Even the San Diego front office probably didn't envision it turning around the staff to this extent.

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Padres Option Luis Campusano

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The Padres made a few moves before tonight’s matchup with the Mariners. Most notably, San Diego optioned catcher Luis Campusano to Triple-A El Paso. The Friars also placed Martín Pérez on the paternity list while recalling outfielder Brandon Lockridge and lefty reliever Tom Cosgrove.

It’s the first optional assignment for Campusano in two years. He has played briefly in the minors on injury rehab assignments but hadn’t been demoted since 2022. It looked last season as if Campusano had broken out as San Diego’s answer behind the dish. While a thumb injury cost him the bulk of the year, he raked at a .319/.356/.491 clip over 49 games. The Friars felt comfortable letting Gary Sánchez walk and turning to Campusano as their season-opening starter.

The 25-year-old has appeared in a career-high 91 games. He hasn’t produced on either side of the ball, leading both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference to rate his play as slightly below replacement level. Campusano has stumbled to a .227/.281/.361 batting line through 299 plate appearances. While that might be tolerable if he were playing well behind the plate, his defensive grades have been very poor.

Campusano has logged 670 2/3 innings behind the dish. Defensive Runs Saved has him 15 runs below average, the worst mark among catchers. Statcast has graded him harshly for each of his pitch framing, blocking and throwing. Campusano is tied for the fifth-most passed balls (six) and has been behind the plate for 36 wild pitches.

Only Shea Langeliers, Will Smith and Logan O’Hoppe have been behind the plate for more wild pitches — and they’ve all logged upwards of 900 innings. That’s not entirely on Campusano, of course, but it doesn’t reflect especially well on his work blocking pitches in the dirt. Campusano has also thrown out just eight of 49 attempted base stealers, a 16.3% clip that is about five points below league average.

Those struggles have naturally opened up playing time for backup catcher Kyle Higashioka. Acquired from the Yankees as the fifth piece in the Juan Soto blockbuster, Higashioka has had the best season of his career. The veteran has drilled 16 homers in only 228 plate appearances. Despite a .225 average and a dismal .269 on-base mark, the power has made him a productive hitter. Higashioka has a league average caught stealing rate, although he’s also had a rough time as a receiver. He’s tied for the MLB lead with nine passed balls in only 575 2/3 innings.

San Diego had rolled with a Campusano-Higashioka pairing for most of the season. They added 2023 All-Star MVP Elias Díaz late last month after he was released by the Rockies. Díaz will back up Higashioka for the time being. That seems like skipper Mike Shildt’s preferred duo as the Friars try to secure a Wild Card berth.

Higashioka and Díaz are both impending free agents. Aside from Campusano, the only other catcher on the 40-man roster is Brett Sullivan, who projects as a depth player. While the Friars surely hope for top prospect Ethan Salas to eventually seize the position, they can’t count on the 18-year-old for at least a few seasons. That points towards Campusano competing with an outside acquisition — potentially a re-signed Higashioka or Díaz — for the job next year.

The timing of the demotion, presumably not coincidentally, provides the Padres with some flexibility in that regard. Campusano has one minor league option remaining. A player uses an option year when he spends 20 days on an optional assignment during a season. Rehab stints do not count towards that time. There are 19 days left in the regular season, so Campusano will still have an option remaining going into 2025. That means the Padres would be able to keep him in El Paso for another year without exposing him to waivers.

Campusano is on track to reach arbitration for the first time in his career. He entered the season with one year and 144 days of service. He’ll earn a full service year this season despite being sent down. Evan Drellich of the Athletic reported in 2022 that players who are optioned more than three days after Labor Day continue to receive service time during that assignment. That easily positions Campusano to qualify for early arbitration as a Super Two player, although his salary will be modest enough that he shouldn’t be in danger of getting non-tendered. He’s controllable for another four seasons after this one.

As for Lockridge, he gets his first big league opportunity. San Diego added him to the 40-man roster at the start of September but had kept him on optional assignment with El Paso. Acquired from the Yankees at the deadline in the Enyel De Los Santos deal, Lockridge has hit .306/.410/.397 over 402 plate appearances at the top minor league level. The speedster has stolen 46 bases and been thrown out just six times. He’ll likely work as a pinch-runner and defensive specialist in his first MLB action.

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.

Marlins Claim Lake Bachar

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The Marlins have claimed right-hander Lake Bachar from the Padres, per Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union Tribune on X. The Friars had designated him for assignment on the weekend. The Fish will need to make a corresponding move to open a 40-man roster spot for this claim.

Bachar, 29, has not yet made his major league debut but got a roster spot from the Padres based on his intriguing minor league work in recent years. He had to endure a lengthy absence, as the pandemic wiped out the minors in 2020 and then Bachar missed 2021 while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

He showed a bit of rust in 2022, posting a 6.15 earned run average at the Double-A level. Per an article from Sanders at Baseball America, a splitter camp run by Hideo Nomo in the spring of 2023 helped Bachar find a new gear. The righty went on to throw 60 1/3 innings at the Double-A level that year with a much-improved 2.69 ERA. He struck out 27.5% of batters faced and gave out walks at a 10% clip.

He qualified for minor league free agency after 2023 and re-signed with the Padres on a minor league deal. That deal contained an opt-out at the start of August, so the Padres added him to their 40-man at that time to prevent him from getting away, but they kept him on optional assignment. He was briefly recalled about a week ago but didn’t get into a game and was optioned right back down.

Bachar was squeezed off the 40-man roster when the Padres bolstered their roster for September with catcher Elias Díaz and outfielder Brandon Lockridge. That’s despite him having another strong season in the minors. He has thrown 71 2/3 innings over 46 appearances at the Triple-A level with a 3.89 ERA in the hitter-friendly environment of the Pacific Coast League. He has a 27.4% strikeout rate and 10.3% walk rate.

Though he got nudged off the roster by the Padres, the Marlins are intrigued enough by his results to grab him. Bachar has almost zero service time and will still have two option years after this one, so he could be a long-term piece for them if he can hang onto his 40-man roster spot.

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.

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