The Padres announced that outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. has been reinstated from the 60-day disabled list, as previously reported. In related moves, they optioned outfielder Bryce Johnson and designated outfielder José Azocar for assignment.
Azocar, 28, has primarily served as a speed and defence depth player for the Padres in recent seasons. He appeared in 214 games between 2022 and 2024 but was only called up 397 times. In those plate appearances, he has a hitting line of.243/.287/.322, for a wRC+ of 74. However, he has stolen 18 bases while also recording eight Outs Above Average and two Defensive Runs Saved in the outfield.
The Friars have repeatedly optioned him to the minors throughout that period, but he will be out of options after this season. That would have made it more difficult for the Padres to keep him on the 40-man roster, therefore he was released today. He has also slashed with the bat in the minors, which has not helped his case.276/.309/.402 in 438 plate appearances at Triple-A since the beginning of 2023, yielding a wRC+ of 70.
Because we are in the post-deadline phase of the calendar, the Friars will have to place Azocar on waivers in the coming days. If any club is interested in Azocar’s unique skill set, they could put in a claim and keep Azocar on optional. assignment for the remainder of the season, but he will have fewer roster flexibility in the long run.
Leave a Reply