Padres add former Brewers infielder in latest search for bench help

The Padres made another A.J. Preller-esque move that shouldn’t come too much as a surprise. According to Dennis Lin, they reportedly agreed to a minor-league deal with veteran infielder Luis Rengifo, who was released by the Brewers this week after a poor offensive run in Milwaukee. Rengifo hit .205/.280/.254 in 57 games.

Obviously Rengifo didn’t exactly fix anything over the past week. But the Padres infield depth is still weak, and Preller is not going to be shy when it comes to poking around the edges of the roster. Especially if there’s even a tiny chance he can squeeze value out of a discarded veteran.

Luis Rengifo gives the Padres another bench option to test

Rengifo’s Brewers stint wasn’t up to standard. He gave them almost no power, didn’t reach base enough, and eventually became the roster casualty when the organization needed room for Cooper Pratt. 

But he still checks boxes San Diego should care about. He’s a switch-hitter who can move around the diamond. He’s not exactly a mystery. But he can fill-in and spell the infield or outfield if needed.

The Padres are hoping that maybe Milwaukee got the worst version of him. Which is quite the stretch, since the Brewers have been known to get the most out of their talent lately. If the Brewers are cutting you loose, something wasn’t working. But maybe there’s still enough  versatility and athleticism here to work. A reset in Triple-A gives San Diego another emergency option before the trade deadline. 

Minor-league deals are easy to ignore because they aren’t expensive and they don’t require too much of a commitment. Rengifo could easily find himself playing for a different organization in a couple months if things don’t work out. 

But with the Padres’ offensive struggles throughout the season, it’s worth testing whether they can squeeze some value out of him. He’s a bit removed from his best years, which came in Anaheim with the Angels, but there was real production there. Rengifo hit .264 in both 2022 and 2023 and combined for 33 home runs over that two-year span.

The Padres are not in a position where they can turn their nose up at cheap depth. So even though Rengifo’s recent numbers are bad. They are buying the possibility that there is still something left underneath it.

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