Martin

Maldonado

Maldonado made the official announcement on his Instagram page. The 39-year-old backstop will put his catcher’s gear on the shelf after spending time with seven different teams over a 15-year career dating back to 2011. One of the premier defensive stalwarts in the game, Maldonado was a key component for a perennially-contending Houston squad for a half-decade from 2019-2023 despite contributing next to nothing from an offensive standpoint.

Even with Freddy Fermin entrenched as the starter, the Padres will roster both Luis Campusano and Martín Maldonado as backups for this series. It remains to be seen who will catch Game 2.

Maldonado is back in the fold with San Diego as emergency organizational catching depth for the final month of the regular season. The 38-year-old defensive specialist is unlikely to make it back to the big leagues unless the Padres lose either Freddy Fermin or Elias Díaz to injury.

The Padres severed ties with Maldonado last week after picking up Freddy Fermin in a trade with the Royals. The 38-year-old backup catcher has been a non-factor at the plate for nearly a decade at this juncture, but his defensive abilities have kept him around in the majors. There’s a chance this is the end of the road after a 15-year career.

After Thursday’s acquisition of Freddy Fermin from the Royals, unfortunately Maldonado became expendable. The 38-year-old backstop slashed an uninspiring .204/.245/.327 with four home runs and 12 RBI in 161 plate appearances for the Padres this season. It’s possible that this could be the end of the line for him.

Maldonado led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a solo homer off Trevor Williams, a 107 mph shot to left center field to tie the game. The 38-year-old veteran backstop is up to four homers while hitting .189/.232/.330 over 116 plate appearances.

Maldonado, not known for his ability at the plate, got in on the fun as the Padres put 11 runs up on the Dodgers. He took Matt Sauer deep for a solo homer to lead off the sixth inning, then singled and scored in the seventh. The 38-year-old veteran catcher is hitting .189/.223/.311 with three homers and six RBI across 97 plate appearances.

Díaz made a second straight start today for the first time since Apr. 5-7. While probably not truly a quality starting catcher, Diaz has to be a better option than Martín Maldonado, who continues to handle Dylan Cease and Randy Vásquez when they pitch. Díaz is catching Michael King and Nick Pivetta, both of whom are off to outstanding starts. Díaz also has a .652 to .506 OPS advantage on Maldonado.

The homer came in the second inning, but making the difference tonight has to help Díaz’s case for regaining some playing time. He started over Martín Maldonado in seven of San Diego’s first 11 games, but Maldonado has gotten the call in eight of the last 13. That’s been the case even though the Padres are 12-0 in Diaz’s starts, compared to 5-7 in Maldonado’s. Diaz has mostly caught Michael King and Nick Pivetta, while Maldonado has had Dylan Cease and Randy Vásquez.

Maldonado was responsible for the only run of the game for the Padres with a solo blast off an otherwise-excellent Shota Imanaga. The 38-year-old has his first homer as a member of the Padres, and fantasy managers shouldn’t expect many more.