Melvin Upton Jr. sent to Blue Jays
Padres will pay all but $5 million left on outfielder’s deal.
T h e S a n Di e go P a d re s traded left fielder Melvin Upton Jr. to the Toronto Blue Jays for minor league righthander Hansel Rodriguez.
The trade was announced Tuesday morning, hours before the Padres played at Toronto in the middle game of a three-game series.
Upton is hitting .256 with 16 home runs, 45 RBIs, 46 runs and 20 steals. He’s hit three walk-off home runs.
Toronto (56-44) is three games behind Baltimore in the AL East. The Blue Jays hold the second wild-card spot.
Upton is in the fourth year of a five-year, $75.25 million contract he signed with the Braves before the 2013 season. He’s owed $16.45 million next season.
The Padres will reportedly pay all but $5 million of the $22.5 million remaining on Upton’s contract.
Upton couldn’t join Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins for an afternoon press conference because he was at the nearest border crossing, in Buffalo, N.Y., being cleared to re-enter Canada. When he arrived with the Padres on Sunday night , Upton was treated as a visitor. As a member of the Blue Jays, he requires a work visa to enter Canada.
Rodriguez, 19, was 2-1 with a 3.06 ERA in six starts for the rookie-level Bluefield Blue Jays.
Cardinals: Reliever Trevor Rosenthal was put on the 15 - day di s a bl e d l i s t wit h inflammation in his right shoulder. Rosenthal, 26, is 2-4 with a 5.13 ERA and 14 saves in 18 chances. Also, left-hander Dean Kiekhefer was promoted from Triple-A Memphis.
Nationals: First baseman Ryan Zimmerman was activated from the DL after missing 13 games with a strained left rib cage.
Orioles: Outfielder Hyun Soo Kim (right hamstring strain) was activated from the 15-day DL and pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez rejoined the team from paternity leave.
Marlins: Second baseman Dee Gordon will be eligible for reinstatement from his 80-game suspension on Thursday prior to Miami’s game against St. Louis. Gordon, last year’s Nat i o na l L e a g ue b a t t i ng champ, was suspended for violating the league’s performance enhancing drug policy. Gordon hit .266 with five RBIs in 21 games before the suspension. He hit .333 with eight triples and a leaguehigh 58 steals last season.
Rangers: Top prospect Joey Gallo and pitcher Nick Martinez were recalled from Triple-A Round Rock, veteran right-hander Kyle Lohse was designated for assignment and outfielder Jared Hoying was optioned to Round Rock.
Reds: Right-hander Homer Bailey (Tommy John surgery) threw 98 pitches over 41/3 innings for Triple-A Louisville on Monday in what is expected to be his final minor league rehab start. He last pitched in the majors on April 23, 2015.
Giants: Monday’s crowd of 42,147 was the 455th consecutive sellout at AT&T Park, tying the Indians for the second-longest streak in MLB history. The Red Sox, with a sellout streak of 794, hold the longest run in the majors.
Indians: A female fan was c arried from Progressive Field on a stretcher Tuesday night after being hit in the head with a foul ball by Washington’s Daniel Murphy.