The Padres signed outfielder Dustin Harris to a minor league contract late last week. Although the team never officially announced the move, the lefty batter reported to Triple-A El Paso and made his organizational debut there yesterday.
Harris opted out of a minor league deal with the White Sox at the beginning of July. He’d spent the previous couple months at Triple-A Charlotte after signing a minor league deal in May. It was his second stint in the Chicago organization. Harris signed an offseason non-roster contract with the Sox and was called up in early April. They lost him on waivers to the Astros but brought him back when Houston dropped him a few weeks later.
The 27-year-old has had a strong year in Triple-A, batting .306/.392/.481 with six homers across 187 plate appearances. Harris has an impressive .280/.370/.428 showing in nearly 1500 trips to the dish over four seasons at the top minor league level. He has only gotten sporadic looks against MLB pitching, hitting .225 with a couple home runs in 38 games. Harris had spent the first couple seasons with the Rangers before logging a combined 17 games between Chicago and Houston this year.
San Diego lost starting left fielder Ramón Laureano to what is likely a season-ending hip surgery. Samad Taylor has filled in well over the past month but recently went down with an oblique strain. Gavin Sheets was in the primary left field role for the final few games before the All-Star Break. The Padres don’t have any depth outfielders on optional assignment to El Paso, while Jase Bowen is the only true backup outfielder on the big league club. That makes this a good landing spot for Harris, who joins Nick Solak and Bryce Johnson among the non-roster depth options.
