Nelson Cruz Designated for Assignment by Padres; Batting .245 in 49 Games

Nelson Cruz's tenure in San Diego is over.

The 43-year-old slugger was designated for assignment by the team on Tuesday after hitting .245 with five home runs and 23 RBI in 143 at-bats. The move comes amid several roster moves from the team, including Michael Wacha being placed on the 15-day injured list and the promotion of pitchers Jose Castillo and Matt Waldron and infielder Matthew Batten.

Cruz signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Padres ahead of the 2023 MLB season, but neither has gotten off to the start they wanted. The Padres are fourth in the NL West at 39-46, which is a significant step down from a run to the NLCS the year before.

It appears that father time may be finally catching up to Cruz. His struggles in 2023 are similar to his production in 2022, where he hit .234 with 10 home runs and 64 RBI's in 448 at-bats for the Washington Nationals. His 2023 numbers are on pace to beat those totals if a team were to take a chance on him, and his 2021 could serve as a reason to give Cruz that opportunity.

He hit .265 with 32 home runs and 86 RBI's and was named to the All-Star Game for the seventh time in his career during that season. His average did dip after a midseason trade to the Tampa Bay Rays, but his power held strong. He also has lengthy postseason experience, with a career stat line of a .278 average, 18 home runs and 38 RBI's in 50 playoff games.

He still holds value for a contending team, especially given a cheap price tag, so has a solid chance at being picked up. If his career were to be over as a result of the release, he would finish 47th in the all-time home run leaders with 464 career blasts.