Padres flip-flop and make another roster move in response to Ha-Seong Kim injury

The San Diego Padres placed Ha-Seong Kim on the 10-day injured list Tuesday and quickly recalled infielder Matthew Batten. Kim suffered a shoulder injury that was worse than initially anticipated, and for the first time in his major league career Kim was placed on the IL.

Batten has appeared in parts of three consecutive seasons with the Padres, but his career .682 OPS is less than exciting, and he's limited defensively. Though versatile, Batten typically occupies the hot corner. But with Kim out, it became necessary for the Padres to bolster their depth at shortstop.

On Wednesday, Batten was sent back to Triple-A El Paso and the Padres promoted Mason McCoy to the active roster. The 29-year-old hasn't been in the big leagues since he played six games for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2023, but the Padres felt the need to add the infielder to the roster.

Padres make corresponding roster move for Ha-Seong Kim injury

McCoy has spent the entire 2024 season at Triple-A while hitting .260/.329/.382 in 108 games with the Chihuahuas. Those numbers are about par for the course for McCoy who owns a career .718 OPS in four seasons at the Triple-A level.

McCoy's best minor league season came in 2022 with the Blue Jay's affiliate when he hit .256/.332/.473 and smacked 21 home runs. The former sixth-round pick has yet to demonstrate that type of power this season, however, with only five round trippers.

It's a good bet that Tyler Wade will continue to get the lion's share of starts at shortstop in Kim's absence. McCoy, however, brings a right-handed bat to the party, and Padres manager Mike Shildt may turn to the newly promoted infielder against left-handed pitching. Wade's .343 OPS against southpaws is troubling, to say the least.

The hope is that Kim is off the IL in short order and things can return to normal on the Padres infield. Until then, look for a combination of Wade and McCoy to hold down the fort.

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