The San Diego Padres made room for Robbie Ray by moving on from German Marquez, a veteran starter whose run with the club ended Wednesday when he was designated for assignment.
That decision came after San Diego added the left-hander from the San Francisco Giants and also brought in right-hander Casey Mize from the Detroit Tigers. Mize’s first outing with the Padres went sideways fast, as he gave up eight earned runs on nine hits in 3.1 innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks yesterday.
Ray and Mize are expected to matter a great deal if the Padres are still in the race for a postseason rotation spot, but the roster squeeze cost Marquez his job. He appeared in 13 games for San Diego, making 10 starts, after spending the first 11 seasons of his career with the Colorado Rockies.
The Padres may have hoped a change of scenery would help him away from Coors Field, but the results never really turned the corner. Marquez gave up 55 hits in 53 innings and finished with a 5.26 ERA and 1.491 WHIP.
The Venezuela native had his moments in Colorado, though he was never the staff ace. His best recognition came in 2021, when he earned his first and only All-Star selection.
And back in 2018, before the National League adopted the designated hitter, Marquez pulled off an unusual feat for a pitcher by winning a Silver Slugger Award. In 65 plate appearances, he hit .300 with a homer and five RBIs.
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Diamondbacks Add Risky Pitching Depth As Wild Card Pressure Builds
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Littell arrives with plenty of recent big league mileage and a track record of bouncing between roles, the sort of profile clubs lean on when the calendar turns and every game starts to matter a little more. For the Diamondbacks, the appeal is simple: add depth now, sort out the rest later, and hope the new piece can steady a rotation and bullpen that have both been asked to carry too much for too long. [Read more 🡒]