Padres DFA hot Triple-A bat after brief major-league look goes nowhere

You root for Nick Solak because, why not? He did exactly what a veteran depth bat is supposed to do in Triple-A. He hit everything in sight and made himself noticeable for a little while. He became a logical emergency option when Miguel Andujar found himself on the IL.

However, Solak’s Padres stint barely got a chance to breathe before it was over. He was DFA’d after Andujar was activated from the 10-day injured list, ending a short cameo that never really got off the ground. Solak got only 10 plate appearances, and slashed .143/.300/.143 with one hit.

Nick Solak’s Padres audition was always living on borrowed time

This was kind of the expectation with Solak’s roster spot. Even if he did earn the look. He was hitting .333 with nine home runs and 40 RBI in 54 games at El Paso. But his value was tied to circumstance. Once Andujar was healthy enough to return, the writing was on the wall.

So the bigger story here is the return of Andujar. The Padres need someone who can help this lineup feel a bit more dangerous.

Andujar isn’t coming back with groundbreaking numbers. He’s slashing .254/.288/.418 with five home runs and 17 RBI over 189 at-bats, with a 94 OPS+. But before injuries started interrupting his season, he was giving the Padres useful pop. 

He’s still a veteran flier, so the expectations should remain tempered. But Andujar is at least better than the revolving door behind him.

Still, even a call-up like Solak says a lot. The Padres aren’t cycling through depth like a normal offense. These smaller decisions feel bigger this season because they’re looking for a spark wherever they can get it. Which is why this DFA says more than it usually would.

Solak is now exposed to waivers. While it’s widely expected that the 31-year-old utilityman will clear, the Padres are still risking a player who had an impressive showing at Triple-A. Another team could see this as a chance to backfill its roster. Or it could simply be in a pinch with injuries and need more depth. A utility piece with recent production is always going to have some appeal in that lane.

The DFA is still understandable. The Padres had the healthier player returning, and Andujar has already shown more big-league usefulness this season than Solak was likely to provide in a limited role. 

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