This may be a little early, but catcher Yasmani Grandal‘s eventual permanent promotion to the big leagues is going to mean the end of Nick Hundley‘s time in San Diego.
In a surprising move on June 3, just one day after he made his major league debut, Grandal was sent back to Triple-A. So, apparently, it was just a temporary move to put another bat on the bench.
Regardless, at some point later this season, Grandal will be back in San Diego, which spells doom for Hundley and his time as the Padres‘ starting catcher.
Grandal was the second-biggest piece in an offseason deal with the Cincinnati Reds, in which the Padres also acquired first baseman Yonder Alonso.
Hundley is currently batting .172 with three home runs and 18 RBI, and backup John Baker isn’t doing much better. Grandal, on the other hand, is batting .322 with five home runs and 28 RBI in Tucson.
Things aren’t changing in San Diego, and it’s mainly because the players on the big league roster aren’t producing. And when guys aren’t producing, normally they’re benched and/or sent down to the minors.
I’ve never really been a fan of Hundley, either. He’s a lifetime .244 hitter, and he has never reached double-digits in home runs.
And Hundley is not the only one. There are many others.
Then again, the Tucson Padres are doing equally as poorly in the Pacific Coast League as they struggle at the bottom of the standings.
So, what do the Padres have to lose? Certainly it won’t make a difference in Triple-A, but it could in the big leagues.
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