Padres Officially Release 2 Pitchers, Including 9-Year Veteran

The San Diego Padres released two players from the organization this week, per the team's transaction log on MiLB.com.

Veteran right-handed pitchers José Leclerc and J.P. France were both officially released by the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas.

They were both on minor league deals.

Padres Release José Leclerc

The Padres signed Leclerc in March just ahead of Opening Day in a move to bolster the team's pitching depth.

The 32-year-old bounced around four levels of the Padres' minor league system this year, spending time at Triple-A, Double-A, High-A and Rookie Ball amid his struggles.

Overall, across the four levels, he accumulated a 7.77 ERA over 24.1 innings. In seven games at Triple-A, he had an 11.74 ERA with four strikeouts to eight walks across 7.2 innings.

Leclerc initially made his MLB debut with the Texas Rangers in 2016 and was with them until 2024. Across his eight seasons with the Rangers (he missed all of 2021 recovering from Tommy John surgery), he had a 3.27 ERA over 350 appearances.

After the 2024 season, Leclerc joined the Athletics on a one-year, $10 million contract. He struggled across 10 appearances, sporting a 6.00 ERA before suffering a lat muscle strain in late April that ultimately required season-ending surgery.

Padres Release J.P. France

The Padres signed France at the start of August, just ahead of the trade deadline.

The 31-year-old was assigned to Triple-A, where he made 10 appearances, compiling an 8.44 ERA with nine strikeouts to eight walks over 10.2 innings.

France was initially drafted by the Houston Astros in the 14th round of the 2018 MLB Draft. He spent his entire career with them before joining the Padres last month.

The right-hander made his MLB debut in 2023, where he had a 3.83 ERA across 24 appearances (23 starts) and looked on his way to being a perennial member of the Astros rotation.

However, he struggled across five starts in 2024 before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. Since returning, he's made just five big league appearances.

France was released by the Astros at the end of July after sporting an 8.10 ERA over three major league appearances this season.

The Padres hoped they could turn him into a potential late-season option out of the bullpen. Instead, he's been released to free agency just a month later.

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