The name Pablo Reyes might not mean much to the average baseball fan, but it does to a certain segment of die-hard Boston Red Sox enthusiasts.
Reyes was one of the few pleasant surprises in an otherwise forgettable 2023 season for Boston. He batted .287 across 64 games, many of which came while filling in for the injured Trevor Story at shortstop, and he hit a walk-off grand slam against the Kansas City Royals that may have been the high point of the year.
It’s been tough sledding for Reyes ever since, however. The 32-year-old has now played in parts of seven big-league seasons, but he’s never played in more than 71 games. His career was also interrupted by a performance-enhancing drug suspension that cost him the entire shortened 2020 season.
After withering away on the bench for the New York Yankees this past season, though, Reyes has found a new organization to call home.
Reyes signed a minor-league deal with the San Diego Padres, according to the transactions log on his official roster page. The signing occurred on Nov. 6, but wasn’t reflected in that log until at least a few days later.
Reyes played in just 24 games for the Yankees this season, mostly either off the bench or in a platoon role against left-handed pitchers. It was perhaps his worst offensive performance with any club yet, as he put up a .468 OPS and negative-0.5 wins above replacement. He was designated for assignment in June and wound up signing a minor-league deal with the New York Mets, who released him in August without getting called up.
At the big-league level, Reyes has played every position but catcher, and he’s had brief stints with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers, and Mets on top of the Red Sox and Yankees.
Will the Padres find a role for Reyes? He’d have to impress with the bat in spring training, but the San Diego roster looks thin after losing a few key names to free agency, so it’s not out of the question.
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