Padres claim Arcia, option Kivlehan to Minors
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MIAMI -- The whirlwind season continues for Oswaldo Arcía. The Padres claimed the outfielder off waivers from the Marlins on Saturday and optioned infielder/outfielder Patrick Kivlehan to Triple-A El Paso. In addition, the club also transferred outfielder Jon Jay to the 60-day disabled list.
Arcia, 25, was designated for assignment by Miami on Thursday. This is the fourth Major League team for Arcia this season. He had played a total of 55 games in 2016 for Minnesota, Tampa Bay and Miami, hitting .226 (36-for-159) with six homers, six doubles, one triple, 19 RBIs and 15 runs scored.
Arriving in Miami where the Padres are visiting for a weekend series, Arcia was penciled into Saturday's starting lineup in right field, batting sixth in the batting order and going 1-for-4 in a 1-0 win.
Once a top prospect for Minnesota, Arcia made his Major League debut with the Twins in 2013 after signing as a free agent with the team in '07. Over 97 games, he hit .251 with 14 homers and 43 RBIs. The following season, he knocked a career-high 20 homers and 57 RBIs in 103 games for the Twins.
"He's got a lot of power," Padres manager Andy Green said before the game. "He's always had the potential to hit. He'll hit a lot of balls out of the ballpark, to all parts of the park."
Though Arcia has already been around the block, he is still a young player with loads of potential.
"You hope to unlock some of that potential, and you hope to provide him a measure of opportunity to see what he can do," Green said.
It's an opportunity for Arcia in the absence of outfielder Jabari Blash, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Monday with a sprained left middle finger.
"[Arcia] is somebody who is young enough that you can dream on a little bit and see what he does," Green said.
Arcia was traded by Minnesota to Tampa Bay on June 24 for a player to be named or cash, then was put on waivers by the Rays and picked up by the Marlins on Tuesday.
The older brother of Brewers infielder Orlando Arcia, Oswaldo will wear No. 34.