Padres Select Ben Gamel

7:18 PM: The Padres have officially selected Gamel’s contract from Triple-A El Paso. Choi has been placed on the 10-day IL, retroactive to August 12, while Carlton has been moved to the 60-day IL. Carlton has been out with right elbow inflammation since July 1, making him eligible to return on August 30.

6:28 PM: The Padres are selecting outfielder Ben Gamel onto the 40-man roster, reports Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link). First baseman Ji Man Choi is headed to the 10-day injured list with a left rib strain. The Friars will also need to a make a 40-man roster move, though reliever Drew Carlton stands out as a speculative candidate for a move to the 60-day injured list.

Gamel has spent the entire season in Triple-A. The veteran signed a minor league pact with the Rays and hit .276/.402/.463 in 59 games for their top affiliate. Tampa Bay couldn’t find room in the MLB outfield and dealt him to the Padres last month. Gamel has continued where he left off, mashing at a .314/.402/.600 clip through 18 games with the Friars’ highest affiliate in El Paso.

The combined .286/.402/.490 showing across 332 plate appearances earns Gamel another crack at the big league level. It’ll be his eighth season in the majors overall. The left-handed hitter owns a .253/.333/.385 career line, including a .254/.336/.391 showing versus righty pitching. Gamel had an above-average .252/.342/.409 slash when holding the platoon advantage with the Pirates last season.

Mostly limited to the corner outfield, Gamel won’t bring much defensive flexibility. He’s a decent bet to perform reasonably well at the dish, though, potentially compensating for the loss of another left-handed bat. Acquired alongside Rich Hill at the deadline, Choi has walked five times but has yet to collect a hit in seven games as a Padre. The Friars have mostly used him as a lefty bench bat — offseason signee Matt Carpenter has remarkably gone since July 24 without getting into a game thanks to a .166/.296/.302 line — so Gamel could take Choi’s role off the bench.