Padres re-sign player who fans thought they were finally rid of

For the longest time, San Diego Padres fans were begging the front office staff to drop the now 39-year-old catcher Martín Maldonado. Posting well-below-average marks on both offense and defense, Maldonado was holding a roster spot that wasn't necessarily merited. The Friars are on a path to the postseason, and it made no sense for him to be on the team.

Then finally, on July 31, San Diego DFA'd Maldonado and officially released him on August 6. Now, just about one month later, the Friars are bringing Maldonado back. In a bit of a head-scratching move, San Diego is signing him to a minor league deal, and he could be eligible for the postseason roster if any other Padres catcher gets hurt.

Martín Maldonado returns to the Padres as a potential emergency option at catcher

Ideally, the Padres will never have to use Maldonado, but it's interesting that they are going back to the well. There are other available catchers on the market, but perhaps Maldonado did something to make the organization miss him. Maybe it's his veteran presence, or maybe he is a solid clubhouse leader? He has postseason experience as well, so perhaps he's not the worst option.

However, the Padres seem to finally be hitting their stride with their catching depth. Elias Díaz has five runs scored in his last five games, as well as three home runs and five RBIs. Freddy Fermin started out his Padres career on a hot streak with 12 hits in his first 10 games, but has come back to earth a bit since then.

The Padres could just be playing things safe. This club has been hit with a long-line of injuries, especially as of recent. Jackson Merrill, Michael King, Xander Bogaerts, and Jason Adam have all been sent to the injured list within the back-half of the season, so San Diego could just be trying to make themselves as bulletproof as possible with the postseason looming. Their familiarity with Maldonado is likely why he was re-signed, on top of logging 65 career postseason games. It's a good enough resume to bring him back, but hopefully using him as an emergency catcher is all that will be needed of him.