Nick Solak 's transactions log had a busy week. As for the 31-year-old infielder, a week between games essentially left him right back where he began: a member of the San Diego Padres organization.
Solak was designated for assignment on June 21. Hitless in his previous three games, Solak was 1-for-7 (.143) with a walk in 10 major league plate appearances at the time.
The next seven days of his life amounted to red tape.
Outrighted to Triple-A El Paso, Solak elected free agency in lieu of reporting to the Padres' top farm team. One day later, he re-signed a minor league contract with the Padres.
On Sunday, he reported to El Paso and went 0-for-4 in a game against the Sugar Land Skeeters.
Such is life on the fringes of a 40-man roster.
Solak signed a minor league contract with the Padres last December. He played 19 spring training games, going 15-for-44 (.341) with six doubles and a home run.
Despite that strong showing, Solak had to bide his time at El Paso until June 13, when Miguel Andujar went on the injured list with a strained hamstring. Solak got into that night's game in Baltimore, the Padres' 69th contest of the season, and collected a nice single and a sacrifice fly.
Unfortunately, Solak saw action in only three of the Padres' next six games, and did not record another hit. When Andujar was cleared to come off the injured list, Solak's latest MLB stint was over.
Andujar's .699 OPS has left plenty to be desired. Like Solak, he's a 31-year-old infielder who bats right-handed and has bounced around the league.
Andjuar will make $4 million this season and will likely not be back; he's got an $8 million mutual option for 2027, or a $2.5 million buyout.
Andujar also entered this season with a career .441 slugging percentage. With temperatures rising in the summer, and a livelier baseball leading to more runs across MLB, it's fair to assume Andujar's slugging potential will regress to the mean.
Still, Solak ostensibly felt good about his chances of returning to San Diego at some point this season. The Padres, in the thick of a wild-card race, offer him a chance to play meaningful games down the stretch.
Solak's next postseason game would be his first in a career that began in 2019. Perhaps the Padres will give him that chance.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/padres/onsi as Padres Sign Veteran Utility Man Days After Entering Free Agency .
