Padres Designate Alek Jacob For Assignment

The Padres announced they’ve designated reliever Alek Jacob for assignment. That’s the 40-man roster move to open a spot for Jason Adam, who has returned from the 60-day injured list.

Jacob is a depth reliever who has been in Triple-A since the beginning of July. The 28-year-old righty has been up and down for the last three-plus seasons. He’s only pitched three times at the MLB level this year after tossing a career-high 33 1/3 frames last season. Jacob has posted a 4.18 earned run average with roughly league average strikeout and walk marks over 56 career innings.

It has been a tougher year for Jacob in Triple-A, where he’s been tagged for a 5.58 ERA over 61 1/3 innings. He’s a sidewinder who relies on deception to offset below-average stuff. Jacob’s fastball averages just 84 mph. Unlike most pitchers who throw from such a low arm slot, Jacob uses a changeup far more often than a breaking ball.

Jacob will land on waivers in the next few days. This is the third and final option year for the Gonzaga product. Another team would be able to stash him in the minors for the rest of this season but would need to carry him on the MLB roster next year. If he clears waivers, the Padres could outright him to Triple-A and keep him in the organization.