Oscar

Mercado

Mercado hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since the 2023 campaign and is likely ticketed for Triple-A Reno at the conclusion of spring training. The 31-year-old augments Arizona’s corner outfield depth with Corbin Carroll (hand) recovering from a hamate injury.

The 30-year-old outfielder opted out of his contract with the Phillies and they granted his release. Mercado had hit .252/.373/.385 with nine homers, 54 RBI and 35 stolen bases in 378 plate appearances at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He’s now free to explore opportunities elsewhere and shouldn’t be out of work for long.

The moves leave Kody Clemens and Buddy Kennedy fighting for the final spot on Philadelphia’s season-opening bench. There are some notable names here, but Stevenson, Arroyo and Mercado are merely emergency depth at this stage of their respective careers.

Mercado, a five-year big-league veteran, spent time in Triple-A with the Padres and Tigers last season and hit .222/.308/.405 in 361 plate appearances. He’s a career .237/.289/.388 hitter in 973 MLB plate appearances.

The 29-year-old outfielder had signed a minor league deal with the Padres in spring training, but eventually opted out after the trade deadline after hitting .226 with 11 homers and 12 stolen bases in 78 games at Triple-A El Paso. He’ll report to Triple-A Toledo.

The 29-year-old was hitting just .226 in 78 games at Triple-A El Paso but had hit 11 home runs and stolen 12 bases. He’s 40-for-49 in stolen bases over the past couple of seasons so some team could give him a look as a pinch runner and fourth outfielder.

Not a bad little day for the 29-year-old outfielder, especially once you consider that he didn’t enter the game until the sixth inning. He got the Padres on the board in the sixth with a solo shot off of Mason Barnett. Mercado then demolished a two-run shot off of Anderson Paulino in the seventh inning that increased the Padres’ lead to 6-2. With a strong showing in Cactus League play, Mercado should find himself on the Padres’ Opening Day roster.

Mercado returns to San Diego, where he spent time at Triple-A El Paso last year tearing the cover off the ball, but didn’t end up getting into any contests for the Padres. The 29-year-old outfielder got into 20 games for the Cardinals before being cut loose back in early July. Given the state of San Diego’s outfield mix, it’s not inconceivable that he could find himself on the club’s season-opening roster in a bench role.

Mercado opted out of a minor league contract with the Padres earlier in the week. The 28-year-old is expected to head to Triple-A Oklahoma City for now and will try to make a positive impression for a call-up in September.

Mercado has torn the cover off the ball at the plate for Triple-A El Paso, but there doesn’t appear to be an avenue for at-bats in San Diego at the moment, so he’ll head back to the open market in search of a new opportunity. The 28-year-old outfielder got into 20 games earlier this year for the Cardinals before signing a minor league contract with the Padres back in early July.