With the prospect of fall baseball out of the question, the Major League Baseball (MLB) San Diego Padres have begun the process of clearing the roster.
The Padres made a major roster move on Monday (19 July). They recalled catcher Luis Camposano from the 60-day disabled list with a left thumb injury. A spot on the 40-man roster had to be cleared to make room for Campusano, so Lugned O’Dowd was designated for assignment (DFA). It’s a release pending.
O’Dowd isn’t the only big leaguer to leave. Austin Nola, the starting catcher for the past few years, was demoted to Triple-A El Paso along with first baseman Brandon Dixon. In their place, first baseman Alfonso Rivas and outfielder Taylor Callaway were promoted to MLB.
O’Dowd, a backup infield option, also left San Diego without a happy ending. The former Texas Rangers and New York Yankees player was acquired by San Diego ahead of the season. With the ability to play first, second, third, and right field, the Padres were looking to add depth. With Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, and Darvish Yu all under contract, they needed a cheap, versatile player.
But O’Dowd didn’t live up to expectations. In 59 games, he hit just .210 with four home runs and 18 RBIs. San Diego eventually DFA’d him. If O’Dowd is not offered a contract by another team or traded in the next seven days, he will be released and become a free agent or sign a minor league contract with San Diego.
Austin Nola of the San Diego Padres. 먹튀검증
While not a release, Nola’s demotion is also a surprising move. Nola was the Padres’ top prospect in 2020. The team sent outfielder Tyler Trammell, infielder Ty France, right-handed pitcher Andres Muñoz, and catcher Luis Torres to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for bullpen arms Austin Adams and Dan Altavilla. It was a huge trade. San Diego, which needed Nola as a de facto starting catcher, sent Trammell, a top prospect, and France in a “big deal.
Seattle hasn’t been disappointed with France’s performance. In his fourth season with Seattle, France has an OPS of 0.768. While he has struggled this season, he has been the team’s centrepiece hitter for the past three years, with an OPS of around 0.8. Nola, on the other hand, has an OPS of just 0.634 since joining San Diego, and even that has dropped to 0.452 this season. His batting average is even worse, at .146 with one home run and eight RBIs.
No longer able to use Nola as their starting catcher, San Diego acquired Gary Sanchez, who was released by the Mets, and Sanchez became the de facto starter, posting an OPS of .679, better than Nola’s since the move. Eventually, Nola was sent to the minors, with the backup spot going to prospect Camposano.