The Padres have turned a player they released in early August into a real postseason conversation piece.
Dustin Harris was cut from Triple-A El Paso on Aug. 5, brought back two days later and then pushed to the majors on Aug. 24.
Since landing in San Diego, he’s hit .355/.394/.452 entering Saturday, and the Padres were sitting in the NL’s final Wild Card spot by half a game. That’s a rapid climb from roster afterthought to someone the club may now need to keep around.
Harris’ path to this point has been messy. He opened the season moving between the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros organizations before eventually getting to El Paso as extra depth.
Once he arrived, though, he forced the issue. In 29 games for the Chihuahuas, he hit .350/.422/.617 with six homers and 10 steals, piling up a 1.039 OPS that included an inside-the-park homer and a run of three straight games with a home run.
The power has not followed him to the majors yet, and that fits the usual Triple-A reality in the Pacific Coast League. But the rest of his game has shown up.
In his first 31 at-bats with San Diego, Harris had 11 hits and just five strikeouts. He’s putting the ball in play, running well and forcing pitchers to work, all of which matters even more when a club is trying to get by with a thin bench.
Friday’s win over the Giants was a good example. Hitting eighth, Harris knocked in the game-tying run with a single in the second inning, then later ripped a two-run triple off the right-field wall to push the Padres ahead 6-1. That lead ended up mattering a lot when San Francisco rallied late in San Diego’s 7-5 victory.
By Saturday, the discussion had shifted from nice surprise to legitimate roster call. Harris entered the day with only 31 Padres at-bats, so the .355 average was never going to stay untouched forever.
Still, the case was already there. Then the Padres added another layer.
Against Giants left-hander César Perdomo, Harris started in right field and batted second, wedged directly between Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado. Five weeks after being released, he was in one of the most valuable spots in the order in a game with real Wild Card weight.
That detail says plenty. Harris bats left-handed, but San Diego still trusted his contact game near the top of the lineup against a lefty.
Austin Hays was sixth, Samad Taylor ninth, and the Padres used all three players whose roles they still have to sort out. Harris, though, got the premium assignment.
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