Robinson Cano Agrees to Minor League Contract with Padres After Release

Robinson Cano is back with the San Diego Padres.

Eight days after the team released him, the Padres signed Cano to a minor league contract Friday.

"I think he wants to get some consistent at-bats and see what's there," Padres manager Bob Melvin said. "I talked to him for a little while, and he wasn't getting consistent at-bats in New York, he wasn't here. He loved being here with our guys. He fit in really well."

Cano has had a tough season. The 39-year-old was released by the New York Mets in May after he appeared in just 12 games, hitting .195 with one homer and three RBI. The Mets still owed him $44.7 million of the 10-year, $240 million deal he signed with the Seattle Mariners after the 2013 season.

The Padres signed him later in May, though he didn't fare better, hitting .091 with an RBI in 12 games. Per R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports, the Padres "requested Cano's permission to option him to the minors [June 2], but Cano had enough service time to reject any optional assignment and elect free agency instead."

Cano, an eight-time All-Star, a two-time Gold Glove Award winner and a 2009 World Series champion, was one of the game's preeminent offensive second baseman during his prime, hitting 25 or more homers six times, including in five of his nine seasons with the New York Yankees.

He was suspended 80 games for a failed performance-enhancing drug test in 2018 while with the Mariners and the entirety of the 2021 season for another failed test while with the Mets.

A third failed test would lead to a lifetime ban from Major League Baseball.

Cano hasn't been an All-Star since 2017 and has appeared in only 260 games since the start of the 2018 season. Now, he'll try to make his way back to the big leagues.