Padres Designate Blake Hunt For Assignment

The Padres announced that right-hander Nick Pivetta has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list, a move that was previously reported. To open an active roster spot, fellow righty Jhony Brito has been optioned to Triple-A El Paso. In a corresponding 40-man move, catcher Blake Hunt has been designated for assignment.

Hunt, 27, began the season with the Padres on a minor league deal. He was added to the big league roster in June when Freddy Fermin landed on the injured list. Luis Campusano was already on the IL at the time, so Hunt and Rodolfo Durán made up San Diego’s catching duo for a bit. Later that month, when Fermin came off the IL, Hunt was optioned to the minors. He got to make a brief major league debut while in the bigs but Hunt only made three plate appearances across two games, striking out in all three of those trips.

Since then, Hunt has been pushed even further down the catching depth chart. By the middle of July, both Fermin and Campusano were off the IL, which got Durán optioned to the minors alongside Hunt. When rosters expanded from 26 to 28 at the start of September, prospect Ethan Salas got called up. With three catchers in the big leagues and two on optional assignment in El Paso, the Padres evidently decided Hunt was surplus to requirements.

Since the trade deadline has passed, Hunt will be placed on waivers. As mentioned, his major league track record is very limited and unimpressive, consisting of just three strikeouts and nine innings behind the plate. As one would expect, his minor league résumé is greater in both quality and quantity. Dating back to the start of 2023, he has taken 1,005 trips to the plate and produced a .259/.339/.467 line. That translates to a 101 wRC+. That includes a .301/.381/.617 line and 131 wRC+ at Triple-A this year. He has a solid reputation for his defensive work on the farm as well.

Catching depth is usually in demand, so perhaps Hunt will draw interest on the waiver wire, despite his lack of major league success. He is still optionable for the rest of this season, though he will be out of options in 2027.