The Padres announced that outfielder Adam Engel has been designated for assignment. The move opens up a roster spot for Jose Azocar, who has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list.
Left elbow inflammation sent Azocar to the IL (retroactively) on May 3, and he received a cortisone shot to help heal up. Azocar collected two hits for Triple-A El Paso yesterday, and that will end up being the only game of Azocar’s minor league rehab assignment before his return to the Show. Azocar has hit only .244/.262/.293 over 45 plate appearances for San Diego this season, but he’ll step back into his customary backup outfield role, displacing Engel in the process.
Engel began the season on the IL with a hamstring injury, and didn’t make his season debut until May 7. He has appeared in only five games and gone 0-for-6 over six plate appearances, and two of his appearances came as a pinch-runner. While not exactly a lengthy audition for Engel, the Padres appear more comfortable with Azcoar as their fourth outfielder, though San Diego’s roster is a little crowded by a DH-only player in Nelson Cruz, and a mostly-DH in Matt Carpenter.
The Padres signed Engel to a one-year, $1MM deal this past winter, so they are still responsible for the roughly $700K owed to the outfielder in remaining salary unless another team claims Engel off waivers or a trade is worked out. In all likelihood, Engel will clear waivers, so a new club could pick him up at only the cost of the prorated MLB minimum salary, leaving the Padres covering the rest of that $700K. Engel has enough MLB service time that he can refuse an outright assignment from the Padres in order to return to free agency.
Engel has a respectable track record as a defensive player and baserunner, even if his career .224/.279/.349 slash line over 1546 PA (all with the White Sox before 2023) is subpar. Outfield-needy teams seem likely to check in on Engel for a no-risk minor league deal, since the Padres are footing the bill for the remainder of his 2023 contract.
Go get him Hahn! /s
Amen, Tim, amen. He was the best Sox centerfielder since Jim Landis.
LOL, SDP have one of the best teams on paper (just like the Mets) yet they have no chemistry, or better put, they suck.
I have no interest in teams that simply can’t put it together. i.e SD
Dude got like 12 at bats or something. Didn’t get a hit and was sent packing:
Guess this is the shakeup the padres needed to fix this offense.
Right, but baseball can be a tough business. The brass probably had more faith in Azocar to be a productive player. And Azocar very well might have bonded with the team over the last 1+ year in ways that Engel didn’t get a chance to. Also, Azocar has 5 steals on the year, which was among the NL leaders before he got hurt. Azocar still leads the NL in SB% with 100%. He is 5-5 in steals.
Azocar is a decent 4th outfielder, was a member of the team last year and gets along well with everyone in the clubhouse. Engel was meant to outcompete Sugar for playing time. Didn’t happen.
Engel was the best Sox centerfielder since Jim Landis.
Yet odor has not been dfa and sound have been in March
Engel never had a chance. The Padres horrible strike zone and the dead ball that MLB routinely gives the Padres doomed Engel from the start. See Trayce Thompson and Brent Rooker for examples of what happens after players leave the Padres. The Padres Strike Zone rewards opposing pitchers and the dead ball saps power. When players leave they succeed because of a more liberal zone and the lack of a dead ball.
Thompson has been on several teams before the padres including the dodgers. Rooker as well, people act like they can only be bad as padres and great when they leave. This is just not true.
Ty France leaving and Ryan Ludwick coming and failing with the Padres are other examples as well. I can keep going. The Padres have been labeled the ‘Farm’ team for MLB. Players that leave tend to succeed elsewhere. The horrible strike zone coupled with the dead ball, hinders players on the Padres.
France played well here, he didn’t leave he was traded
Agreed. These guys are all decent players, sometimes all it takes is the right opportunity and a chance to play regularly.
Geez, you’re hitting the conspiracy cocktails super hard today, tows! Let me know where you’re sitting tonight and I’ll send some Sculpins to ya.
Why are the Padres called the farm team for MLB. Ty France, Trayce Thompson, Brent Rooker are recent examples of players succeeding elsewhere. The Padres are among the league leaders in ground outs this year on a team full of power hitters. Teams routinely come into Petco and out homer the Padres. The Padres recieve a horrible strike zone and a dead ball.
Padres have a horrible barrel rate. Product of a dead ball. Also having to chase pitches outside of the zone called strikes. You can’t barrel up a pitch considerably outside the zone.
A dead ball (conspiratorial in it’s own right…) doesn’t determine a barrel hit, that is 100% on the hitter. Ty France was good as a Pad. Trayce and Rooker are journeymen, to say the least. You can believe what you wish, but I truly think you’re reaching for something that isn’t there. The Pads just plain need to play better; this team-wide slump is 100% on them (and not BoMel or AJ, as would seem to be another round of conspiracies floating about.) Cheers amigo
Dead ball does factor. For instance, Judge is among the leaders in barrel rate while Soto is at 42nd. Next is Grisham at 60. Judge has been rumored to recieve a goldilocks ball while the Padres statistically don’t. Soto ahem won the home run derby and yet has seen a gigantic drop in power here. The ball don’t lie.
Huh? You’re all over the place dude… ¡calmaté güey! I don’t even want to respond to the multitude of ways that you’re wrong, I’ll just let you think you won the “argument”
Lol
Not really trying to argue as much as highlight the underlying factors to this ‘swoon’ from one of the most talented teams in baseball. Don’t think manipulating a ball affects results see “deflate gate” with Tom Brady.
Now you’re comparing something Brady did in the NFL… to how the Pads can’t hit water if they fell out of a boat right now? Check please, I’m out! Peace homie, go Pads.
If, a pitcher doctors a ball, it affects spin rate and location. Why wouldn’t adjusting the contents of the ball itself affect distance. Alter the ball, alter the outcome.
Nobody is disputing logistics and physics-based facts, just subjective and speculative conspiratorial theories. Again, nothing more to retort with here, enjoy tonight’s game Holmes!
Gwynn, you’re the one who looks stupid going back n forth with that moron! Move on
Eh, he’s an old “friend” here and I gave him benefit of the doubt. Fool me once… lol
Not one for making friends online. I’ll be cool with posters and you are one that I’m fine with but I don’t give a flying flip if anyone ‘sides’ with me. I know what I see.
Everyone is entitled to an opinion. I know what I see.
to all. I’m a man of science not conspiracy and don’t put a lot of faith in the supernatural, BUT have you considered also the San Diego Sports Curse as a contributing factor? eh? I’ve been around sports and San Diego sports long enough to know that curious, unprecedented bad things that happen to San Diego teams on a regular basis defy scientific reason. Chargering has never just been limited to just the Chargers (though they were the ultimate case study my goodness). Just adding this variable to everyone’s thinking.
On a more positive note, How about those 23 steals by Ruiz! On pace for 85
Juan Soto, is that you?
You don’t need a burner. Just say it, we already know anyway. You’re vexed by the Padres Voodoo Hex Curse and you must get out of San Diego before it’s too late to save your career, not to mention your very life.
Misspelled odor
0-6 is an incredibly small sample, yet Odor remains…
A bad Odor, at that!
Odor looks like a good player, but he should be next, dead weight
Problem for the Padres is Dixon can’t hit. Carpenter looks more like his Cardinals-self than his Yankees-self this season so Odor probably gets a longer leash. The Padres bench is so bad this year Robinson Cano would have stuck on this years team
Was good with the bat in 20-21. Was expecting him to be healthy last season and productive. Didn’t happen. Always hurt. Great fielder when he’s able to play. Worth a look to a team needing an outfielder. Think he’s one of the better AAAA roster fillers.