SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Padres have signed right-handed pitcher Vince Velasquez to a minor league contract, President of Baseball Operations and General Manager A.J. Preller announced today.Velasquez is expected to be added to the Padres active 28-man roster this weekend in St. Louis and make a start during the three-game series against the Cardinals.

The 29-year-old Velasquez went 3-6 with a 5.95 ERA (54 ER, 81.2 IP) and 85 strikeouts (9.37 SO/9.0 IP) in 17 starts for the Philadelphia Phillies this season before being released on September 12th. He went 2-0 with a 2.95 ERA (12 ER, 36.2 IP) with 45 strikeouts over his first 10 games of the season and allowed three earned runs or fewer in all six of his starts over that period.

In 152 career games (123 starts) between the Houston Astros (2015) and Phillies (2016-21), Velasquez has posted a 31-41 record with a 4.88 ERA (346 ER, 638.1 IP), 264 walks and 700 strikeouts (9.87 SO/9.0 IP). Most notably, he pitched a complete game shutout with no walks and a career high 16 strikeouts against the Padres on April 14, 2016 at Citizens Bank Park. Velasquez was originally selected by the Astros in the 2nd round of the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Garey High School in Pomona, Calif.