Paul

McAnulty

The Padres won’t give Justin Leone a look at third base, but maybe they’ll try McAnulty, even though he’d be a substantial downgrade defensively. The 25-year-old McAnulty is hitting .322/.410/.557 in 174 AB for Portland.

McAnulty went 1-for-5 with an RBI in 16 days with the Padres.

At .319/.410/.540, McAnulty is making a strong case with the bat to become the Padres’ third baseman. However, he’s probably not going to be able to handle the position defensive. He was primarily a first baseman and corner outfielder until last month.

McAnulty wasn’t supposed to hit, but after Todd Walker doubled with one out in the inning, manager Bruce Bochy changed pinch-hitters, going from Jack Cust to McAnulty. The thinking was that McAnulty was the better bet to deliver a single. Instead, McAnulty took a low fastball and deposited it over the wall in center, accounting for the only runs of the game. McAnulty had been 6-for-30 with no RBI as a major leaguer.

McAnulty went 2-for-9 with a walk in 10 games with the Padres after being called up for the first time on June 22. With Ben Johnson up and playing, there won’t be much of an opportunity for McAnulty now.

It’s pretty surprising that the Padres bypassed Ben Johnson to bring McAnulty up from Double-A. The 24-year-old was batting .301/.374/.492 in 67 games. He could make a couple of starts while Phil Nevin is out, but he shouldn’t have any fantasy value.

McAnulty went 2-for-9 with a walk in 10 games with the Padres. His removal from the roster opens up a spot for Paul Quantrill.

In 32 games with Portland, McAnulty batted .277 with two home runs, 15 RBI and an on-base percentage of .360. He sat out Friday’s game with Triple-A Vegas and is expected to be available tonight.

McAnulty will see some actin in the outfield with Brian Giles sidelined, but it’s likely that he’l be used primarily as a pinch-hitter. He shouldn’t have any fantasy value.

McAnulty was 5-for-21 with a homer and five RBI this month, but the Padres figured Chase Headley would prove more valuable for now.