Padres claim outfielder Socrates Brito

26-year-old left-handed hitter was placed on waivers by D-backs

March 27th, 2019

SAN DIEGO -- Add another name to the Padres' crowded outfield mix. will be in San Diego for Thursday's season opener against the Giants.

The Padres claimed Brito off waivers from the D-backs on Wednesday with the intention of adding him to their Opening Day roster. Fellow outfielder Travis Jankowski, who is out three months with a broken bone in his left wrist, was placed on the 60-day injured list to clear space on the roster.

In parts of three seasons with the D-backs, Brito hit .202/.229/.351, while playing all three outfield spots. The 26-year-old left-handed hitter is out of option years, meaning the Padres can't send him to the Minors without first placing him on waivers.

Brito's presence complicates things a bit in an already-deep outfield. The Padres' current group features three righty-hitting corner options in Wil Myers, Hunter Renfroe and Franmil Reyes. Manuel Margot is the expected starter in center field, with Franchy Cordero serving as the only left-handed hitter in that mix.

Like Brito, Cordero is capable of playing all three outfield spots. Brito's presence could eventually mean a trip to Triple-A for Cordero, who slumped to a .691 OPS this spring with a team-high 18 strikeouts.

For now, however, it seems likely the club carries six outfielders on Opening Day. Brito provides a left-handed bench bat on a roster full of righty power hitters. Eventually, when the Padres need to promote a pitcher to start Saturday's game, they'll pare down their outfield mix to five.

Of course, there's still a chance general manager A.J. Preller looks to move one of his three righty-hitting corner options. With Myers, Renfroe and Reyes, there's a bit of redundancy in the Padres' outfield, and Preller has been active in trade talks for much of the offseason. Those discussions never bore fruit.

Barring a trade, Brito's arrival probably puts the roster place of Jose Pirela into some jeopardy. Greg Garcia is expected to win the job as utility infielder.