Padres: 3 replacement options for an underperforming Tommy Pham

Padres: Jorge Mateo is capable of handling things in the outfield

In his first taste of big league action last year, Jorge Mateo really struggled to find a rhythm offensively. He mustered just a .185 on-base percentage in a limited sample size of 28 plate appearances, but after tearing it up this spring in Cactus League action, gets another chance.

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This spring, Mateo slashed .316/.414/.456 – putting up some of the best numbers of anyone on the ball club. Now, with Pham mired in a cold streak to open the season, the 25-year-old Dominican could get a chance to impact the Padres in a big way.

Like Profar, this guy a jack-of-all-trades. This season, he’s hitting .267/.421/.400 in 10 games – good for a 137 OPS+.

What you’ll notice about all three of these guys is you can mix and match where they line up defensively depending on the matchups, but Mateo has done more than enough this year to warrant time in left.

In the minors, Mateo never looked like an elite type player with the stick. But so far in 2021, it looks like he’s figured something out. I’m all for playing the hot hand and right now, he’s one of them.