The Padres didn’t make much noise when they DFA’d Blake Hunt, but the move said plenty about where Ethan Salas now stands in the organization.
San Diego needed two roster spots to activate Nick Pivetta from the 60-day IL. Jhony Brito was optioned to Triple-A to open a place on the active roster, and Hunt was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man.
For Hunt, it was a frustrating finish after he had put together a strong stretch in El Paso. He hit .301/.381/.617 with 11 home runs and 32 RBI in 42 games there. He also spent 552 Minor League games waiting for a shot with the club that originally drafted him, only to get three big-league at-bats before this move.
Those three strikeouts didn’t decide his fate. The Padres simply no longer had much reason to carry a fourth catcher once Salas forced his way into the conversation.
That’s the real story here: Salas’ rise squeezed Hunt out. After hitting .286/.361/.417 in 72 Double-A games, the 20-year-old moved up to Triple-A and kept hitting, posting a .326/.410/.539 line in 24 games.
For a catcher that young, that was enough to reshape the depth chart. Salas rebuilt his prospect value, reached the majors, and gave San Diego a left-handed bat with enough defensive polish to handle meaningful work behind the plate. He’s still looking for his first major league hit, though, after 10 at-bats.
The Padres already had Freddy Fermin and Luis Campusano holding down the major-league catching spot, and Rodolfo Durán was still in the mix too. Once Salas emerged as the long-term answer the club had been waiting for since signing him at 16, Hunt became the extra piece.
There also wasn’t much baseball logic in holding Pivetta back just to keep Hunt around. San Diego was a half-game behind Arizona for the final NL Wild Card spot when Pivetta returned, and after missing nearly five months with a flexor strain in his right elbow, he went out and threw five scoreless innings in a 3-2 win over Washington.
That’s the kind of call contenders have to make in September. Pivetta can alter a postseason rotation.
Hunt was blocked by four catchers, including the organization’s most important young position player. Keeping depth for depth’s sake would have been roster management without much payoff.
Hunt’s Triple-A numbers may still give another team a reason to take a chance on him. The Padres could end up losing a useful catcher after barely getting to use him. But that doesn’t mean the decision was the wrong one.
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