The San Diego Padres are coming off a brutal series at home where they were swept by the Seattle Mariners. The team got off to a hot start, and while they have slowed down a bit, they are still seeing a ton of success from Fernando Tatis Jr.

Over the course of the first 45 games, the Padres have yet to find a left fielder. They have experienced with many different names, but they don't feel comfortable with any of the options as a primary left fielder. Outfielder Brandon Lockridge has done the best job so far, earning starts at left and center field when Jackson Merrill was on the IL. When Lockridge is playing left field, he is hitting .304 with a .795 OPS in 23 ABs. In the meantime, he may get the bulk of starts in left field. San Diego remains desperate for a full-time left fielder.

One of the options they used at left field for a few weeks was Oscar Gonzalez. He appeared in 21 games but only hit .220 with four RBIs. Gonzalez was sent down to Triple-A El Paso and is now going to try and seek other opportunities. According to Dennis Lin of The Athletic, who covers the Padres, mentioned that Gonzalez will try and sign with a Japanese team (Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball). This news is certainly stunning, as the outfielder had a ton of potential and recent success. Gonzalez hit 11 homers and 43 RBIs in 2022 and was also famous for his postseason success during the Cleveland Guardians' run.

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It's unclear why he chose to go to Japan, but the Padres granted his release and placed him on unconditional waivers.

The team has used Gonzales, Lockridge, Jason Heyward, Connor Joe, Gavin Sheets, Tirso Ornelas, and even Jose Iglesias at the position. There is still plenty of baseball to be played, but the team can't afford to keep platooning Heyward and Lockridge and expect high-level results offensively. Defensively, they have proven to be valuable. Heyward is a former multiple Gold Glove winner, and Lockridge has elite speed.

With Gonzales and Joe gone, the Padres may try and bring in another option to earn the full-time position.