ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Diamondbacks OF Socrates Brito claimed off waivers by Padres
Mar 27, 2019, 10:23 AM | Updated: 7:22 pm
Arizona Diamondbacks' Socrates Brito celebrates his two-run home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016, in Washington. The Nationals won 5-3. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
(AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Socrates Brito did not clear waivers, but was instead claimed by the San Diego Padres, the team announced Wednesday.
Brito, who was out of minor league options, was placed on waivers earlier in the week as the team believed it had settled its outfield with David Peralta, Jarrod Dyson, Adam Jones and Steven Souza Jr. But things took a turn when Souza went down in an exhibition game on Monday and was later found to have suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Brito was already on waivers by that point, but still, there’s no guarantee he would’ve taken Souza’s place anyway. Instead, it appears that infielder Ildemaro Vargas will make the 25-man roster, while Ketel Marte and Dyson can play center. Jones is likely to see time in corner outfield in Souza’s absence.
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The 26-year-old Brito was once a highly-ranked prospect in the D-backs’ system and even spent time at the major league level the last few years, playing 82 games in 2015, ’16 and ’18.
He owns a career .202 batting average at the major league level to go with five home runs and 16 RBI, plus a .580 OPS.
