The Padres opted for a catcher contract Blake Hunt from Triple-A El Paso, according to a team announcement. A hunter Freddy Fermin he continues on the list of 7-day injured people who have fainted at the moment. To make room on the 40-man roster for Hunt, who is a right-hander Adcock selected for assignment.
Fermin was warming up for relief Yuki Matsui bottom of the sixth when Matsui threw a pitch into the dirt. Fermin turned his head and the ball hit him on the left side of his head after bouncing. Rodolfo Durán replaced Fermin behind the plate. The manager Craig Stammen described Fermin’s injury as worse than this one Xander Bogaertsas relayed by Annie Heilbrunn of the San Diego Sports Association. Bogaerts was hit in the head by the Orioles Trey Gibson in the top of the fifth he finally left the game.
Stammen added that Fermin has suffered a lot this season, so the team will proceed with caution. Durán will start behind the plate for now, with Hunt serving as his backup. Hunt, 28, will be making his major league debut once he enters the game. The Padres drafted him in the Competitive Balance Round B back in 2017. Hunt remained in the organization until 2019 before minor league games were canceled during the COVID season. He was traded to the Rays for Blake Snell deal and pitches in the Orioles and Mariners organizations before returning to San Diego this year.
Hunt has made just 58 plate appearances this year due to a hamstring injury that put him on the 60-day disabled list until May 17. He was solid last year, hitting .272/.368/.452 with a 108 wRC+ in 280 plate appearances in the Mariners’ Triple-A organization. Hunt showed decent power during that time, hitting eight home runs and posting a .180 slugging percentage, though he also had a .331 average on balls in play.
The Padres now have four catchers on the 40-man roster, including Hunt. Presumably, the minor leaguer is on a short stint in the Majors. Luis Campusano he is currently out with a broken left big toe. He has yet to start rehab, although the club’s injury report says he will return later this month. Campusano is also short on options. In the long run, if the Padres only want to carry three catchers on the 40-man roster, one option would be to select Fermin and designate Hunt for assignment. Either way, Hunt’s lack of big league experience could make him an unknown figure behind Durán, Campusano, and Fermin.
Adcock, 29, loses his place on the 40-man roster and will now be released. He hasn’t appeared in the Majors this year, and his major league resume consists of just 23 innings with a 5.48 ERA from 2023-25. Adcock has a miserable 7.15 ERA in 11 1/3 minor league innings this year, and has never had an ERA below 4.66 in a full season at Triple-A. Having been unceremoniously released by the Mets last year, Adcock will have the right to outright decline this time around if he’s not claimed, which seems likely.
Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images
