Jeff Francoeur DFA’d to Make Room for Rymer Liriano

With every minor league promotion comes another player being cut from the major league squad. Today’s promotion of the San Diego Padres #6 prospect, Rymer Liriano, resulted in outfielder Jeff Francoeur being designated for assignment. If the Padres intend to keep Francoeur in the organization, he will likely be placed on waivers and then returned to the Triple-A club in El Paso, if no other teams claim him.

Francoeur, the 30-year-old former Atlanta Braves star known affectionately as “Frenchy”, was called up to the Padres at the time of the Chris Denorfia trade, and played 10 games for San Diego. Although he played well at Triple-A this season prior to his call-up, hitting .294 with 15 home runs, he managed only two singles in 24 AB for the big league club.

His brief stint with the Padres included his first major-league games since August 2013, when he played 22 games for the Giants.

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Francoeur finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2005, then drove in over 100 runs the following two seasons, and was viewed by the Braves as a burgeoning star. But he has not been able to recreate that success since. The Padres, like the Giants, Royals, Rangers, and Mets before them, have given Francoeur opportunities to continue playing based on his early success, but other than a decent year for the Royals in 2011, he has largely been a disappointment.

Francoeur is, however, a positive influence in the clubhouse, and the Padres will miss his omnipresent smile and strong veteran presence in the clubhouse.