Adrian

Morejon

This is the safe way for the Padres to play it, though it would be fascinating to see if Morejón could stay healthy as a starter. The 25-year-old had a 2.83 ERA and a 71/21 K/BB in 63 2/3 innings out of the pen last season.

Morejòn thrived as a multi-inning reliever in San Diego last year, posting a 2.83 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and 71/21 K/BB ratio in 63 2/3 innings. His role doesn’t provide a ton of fantasy value given that he has eight total wins in his last four years combined, but he has been a useful piece of the Padres’ bullpen.

Morejon has just his second save of the year. It came with a run allowed in the 10th, but it was the unearned runner that starts extra innings on second base. Morejon has been a solid part of the San Diego bullpen, but probably won’t get many save chances in the future.

Tanner Scott started the ninth inning with a three-run lead, but he was pulled after he issued walks to each of the first three hitters that he faced — including an RBI free pass to Bryan Reynolds. Morejon then uncorked a wild pitch that allowed another run to score, but he rebounded to get Isiah Kiner-Falefa to bounce into a fielder’s choice that cut down the lead run at the plate. He then punched out Connor Joe and got Yasmani Grandal on a ground ball to shortstop to end it. He’s not going to usurp the closer’s role anytime soon, but he certainly got the job done on Wednesday.

The Padres bullpen has been a bit taxed in recent days, so they’ll add a fresh left-hander to the mix for the weekend. Pedro Avila was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Morejon was with San Diego for last week’s season-opening series in South Korea, but he’ll head to the minors ahead of the club’s stateside opener.

Financial terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed, but the 24-year-old should land in the neighborhood of the $900,000 that was projected by MLBTradeRumors.com. Morejon made just eight appearances in the big leagues for the Padres in 2023, posting a troublesome 7.00 ERA, 2.11 WHIP and an 8/5 K/BB ratio over his nine innings of work. He faces an uphill battle at securing a spot in the club’s Opening Day bullpen.

Morejon has wrapped up a minor league rehab assignment and will remain stationed at Triple-A El Paso for now. The 24-year-old southpaw landed on the injured list back in mid-July due to right knee inflammation.

Morejón didn’t get any outs while giving up six hits and walking a batter. The right-hander had been effective in his previous three appearances since beginning his rehab, but one imagines the Padres won’t be in a hurry to bring him back after this.

Morejón left Saturday’s game after he tried to reach for a comebacker and hurt his knee. Hopefully, the 24-year-old will only miss the minimum amount of time.