Padres News: Padres Recall Abraham Almonte

When Yonder Alonso was placed on the DL the San Diego Padres opted to recall  outfielder, Abraham Almonte, from AAA El Paso. It was a bit of a surprising move. I had opined the other day that first basemen Tommy Medica or Brett Wallace could be the one to replace Alonso, but with decision to move Wil Myers from center field to first base, an extra spot in the outfield opened up.

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Almonte was acquired by the Padres from the Seattle Mariners at the trade deadline last year, along with Stephen Kohlscheen, in exchange for fan favorite Chris Denorfia. He was a pleasant surprise for the Padres in the final two months of the season hitting .265/.308/.378 in 32 games while playing stellar defense. He was off to a hot start in El Paso hitting .308/.378/.508 with four home runs and four stolen bases in 26 games for the Chihuahuas.

While Will Venable seems to have taken the center field job again, Almonte can spell Justin Upton and Matt Kemp in the corners, like he did for Kemp on Sunday. Also, he could platoon with Venable if the Padres face a lefty. If he plays like he did last year, particularly on defense, he could make a case for himself for stick around even when Alonso returns from the DL.

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