Solarte Contributes In First Game As Padre

Just a few days ago, the Padres traded fallen star Chase Headley, a player who had shown glimpses of greatness in a Padre uniform, but struggled recently. Hours after being traded to the New York Yankees, a clean-shaven Headley with a smile on his face (something we hadn’t seen much of this season in San Diego) hit a walkoff hit to win his first game in the Bronx.

The Padres were seen as the early losers in the deal, not getting back much from New York when they’d been offered more lucrative deals for Headley in the past. One of the players San Diego got back, Yangveris Solarte, made his Padres debut last night and through one game he’s looked good.

In his first at-bat as a Padre, Solarte crushed a triple to the left field corner, scoring Chris Denorfia. He added another hit later in the game and also scored two runs as the Padres won in Solarte’s first game.

Solarte is a rookie, but he’s not exactly young at 27 years old. He has experience at second base in the minors, but he played a lot of third base with the Yankees this season. Manager Bud Black gave Chris Nelson the start at third last night and put Solarte at second base, where Black says he’s more comfortable.

The Headley trade will long leave a sore spot in the hearts of Padres’ fans but after one game with Solarte, the Padres may have stumbled upon something worth watching.