The Padres announced that they have designated right-hander Blaine Boyer and outfielder Yeison Asencio for assignment.
Boyer, 33, returned to the Majors for the first time since 2011 this past season and pitched relatively well out of the San Diego ’pen. The well-traveled veteran tallied a 3.57 ERA with 6.5 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and a 42.5 percent ground-ball rate in 40 1/3 innings for manager Bud Black. Boyer has over five years of service time and projected to earn $1MM in arbitration (per MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz), and the Padres instead opted to use that roster spot to protect themselves heading into the Rule 5 Draft.
Asencio, who turned 25 last Friday, batted a combined .291/.330/.433 with 15 homers and eight steals in 572 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A. Baseball America ranked him 24th among Padres farmhands in each of the past two offseasons, more recently noting that he’s a bad ball hitter with an aggressive approach and a very strong arm in right field.
