Wallace will see more time at third base

May 4th, 2016

SAN DIEGO -- Until Yangervis Solarte returns from a right hamstring injury, Brett Wallace will continue to receive time at third base, Padres manager Andy Green said Tuesday.
Wallace, primarily a pinch-hitter/first baseman has made five starts at third this season -- including both Monday and Tuesday nights against the Rockies at Petco Park.
Entering the season, the Padres didn't plan on using Wallace at the hot corner, but injuries to Solarte, Cory Spangenberg (left quad) and Alexi Amarista (right hamstring) forced their hand.
"Honestly, I'm good with whatever they need from me," Wallace said. "I'll play first, I'll play third, I'll pinch-hit. I'm not the kind of guy to worry about the things like that that I can't control."
Wallace will continue to split time with Adam Rosales, based on matchups. Rosales, the better option with the glove, will be inserted as a late-game defensive replacement, when the Padres have the lead.
But as it stands, the Padres want to find a way to get Wallace's bat in the starting lineup against certain right-handers.
"Wally can catch the ball and throw it across," Green said. "He's there right now, and he's going to play a good percentage of the time over there until Solarte comes back -- or Spangenberg comes back -- and we think about attacking it in a different way."
As for Solarte, he ran and took ground balls for the second day in a row, but still does not have a timetable for a return. Of the three injured infielders, Green said Amarista is the closest, health-wise.

Dickerson eager to contribute
Alex Dickerson, who was recalled from Triple-A El Paso on Monday, arrived in the Padres' clubhouse as the national anthem was being sung before Monday night's 2-1 win over the Rockies.
He didn't play in the series opener, but said he spoke with Green to discuss his role with on big league club.
"I'll be a guy off the bench, a left-handed bat, hopefully get in some high-leverage situations with a chance to drive in runs," Dickerson said. "We'll see how it plays out from there, but really it's just: 'How can I contribute?'"

Blash getting reps at first
Rule 5 rookie Jabari Blash has been taking pregame grounders at first base. With Wallace a likely option to be replaced as a third baseman late in games, the Padres want to make sure they have a backup first baseman, once Wallace has been removed.
"We really handicap ourselves if we don't have another guy who can at least come in the infield," Green said. "That's more of an emergency situation that we're building for right now."
Green was also asked if Blash would receive a start in the near future, and said, "It's possible; I wouldn't necessarily want to say it's definite." Blash hasn't started since April 17.