Elias Diaz, the most valuable player in Major League Baseball’s 2023 All-Star Game, signed a minor-league contract with the San Diego Padres on Monday.
The 33-year-old catcher was released by the Colorado Rockies on Aug. 16. Diaz hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning of last season’s All-Star Game to give the National League a 3–2 victory over the American League.
Diaz batted .270 with five home runs and 36 RBIs in 84 games with the Rockies this season before being let go. Diaz is considered a standout game manager behind the plate. That asset would help a San Diego squad that has been platooning Kyle Higashioka and Luis Campusano at catcher.
Before signing with the Padres, Diaz reportedly turned down overtures from San Francisco because the Giants were unwilling to guarantee he would remain on the roster when starter Patrick Bailey returns from an oblique injury.
In 10 major-league seasons, Diaz is a career .252 hitter with 61 home runs and 294 RBIs in 712 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates (2015–19) and Colorado (2020–24).
San Diego also recalled right-hander Randy Vasquez from Triple-A El Paso, Texas, to start Monday night, and he worked six solid innings to gain the victory in a 7-4 triumph at St. Louis. Vasquez (4–6) allowed two runs in his 18th big-league start of the season, lowering his earned-run average to 4.52.
The Padres also optioned right-hander Lake Bachar to El Paso. Bachar was recalled prior to the Sunday game against the New York Mets to shore up the bullpen but didn’t enter the contest.
