Padres select Burch Smith, Option Boxberger, DFA De Los Santos
RHP Burch Smith will make his Major League debut tonight, starting against the Rays
The San Diego Padres today announced that they have selected right-handed pitcher Burch Smith from Double-A San Antonio, have optioned right-handed pitcher Brad Boxberger to Triple-A Tucson and have designated for assignment right-handed pitcher Fautino De Los Santos. Executive Vice President/General Manager Josh Byrnes made the announcement.
Burch, 23, was 1-2 with a 1.15 ERA (4 ER, 31.1 IP) and 37 strikeouts in six starts for Double-A San Antonio. He was named the Padres minor league Pitcher of the Month in April when he was 1-2 with a 1.38 ERA (4 ER, 26.0 IP) over five starts. In April he was second in the Texas League in ERA and WHIP (0.73) and limited hitters to a .163 opponents batting average (15-for-92), also second in the Texas League. In his minor league career, he is 10-8 with a 3.33 ERA (60 ER, 162.0 IP) with 178 strikeouts in 34 appearances including 32 starts. He was originally selected by the Padres in the 14th round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Oklahoma.
Boxberger, 24, appeared in just one game for San Diego since being recalled on May 2, tossing 2.1 innings on May 4 against Arizona. Earlier this season he made 10 relief appearances with Tucson, going 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA (6 ER, 13.0 IP) with 19 strikeouts. He made his Major League debut with the Padres last season, appearing in 24 games with San Diego during four stints with the club. He recorded 33 strikeouts against 18 walks in his 24 games overall, posting 10.7 strikeouts per 9.0 IP and a .222 (22-for-99) opponent batting average while holding right-handed hitters to a .208 (11-for-53) average and lefties to a .239 (11-for-46) average for San Diego. Boxberger was acquired from Cincinnati along with RHP Edinson Volquez, INF Yonder Alonso and C Yasmani Grandal in exchange for RHP Mat Latos, December 17, 2011.
De Los Santos, 27, has appeared in just two games with Triple-A Tucson this season, going 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA (1 ER, 2.1 IP) with four strikeouts. He was acquired by the Padres off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers on February 6, 2013.