The San Diego Padres remained 7.5 games out of first place as of Monday. The team has made progress lately, winning four of its last six contests heading into their contest with the San Francisco Giants.
The team signed former Detroit Tigers All-Star Jose Iglesias to a minor-league deal last month, hoping for added help in the infield. Now, it's been announced that Iglesias has opted out of his contract.
The Padres' individual stars have been hot in recent weeks. Pitcher Blake Snell set an MLB record that has only been set by three other pitchers since 1961 recently. Fernando Tatis found himself in elite company with Shohei Ohtani and Tony Gwynn recently over his prowess at the plate.
Iglesias never fulfilled the promise in San Diego that made him an All-Star with the Tigers in 2015. The smooth-fielding shortstop has played well with the El Paso Chihuahuas of the Pacific Coast League this season. Iglesias has hit .317 in 28 games played with 27 RBI, 13 doubles and four home runs.
He originally opted out in May but then re-signed with the Triple-A Chihuahuas just days later. It was reported that the shortstop searched around for big league offers before making his initial decision at the time. At age 33, his defense has slipped in recent years. Once regarded as an elite defensive shortstop, his numbers in recent years have fallen short of the standard he originally set in the majors with Detroit.
It has been theorized that Iglesias will now seek a quicker path to MLB than the Padres appeared to be offering him. A five-foot-11, 195 pound shortstop, Iglesias last played for the Tigers in 2018, when he hit .269 in 125 games.
He has yet to play an MLB game for the Padres. Iglesias hit .292 in 118 games with Colorado last season.
Follow Us
Subscribe