Former Boston Red Sox infielder José Iglesias remains on the hunt for a stable big league roster spot this season.
Initially, Iglesias agreed to a minor league with the Miami Marlins back in March. Given that Iglesias only got 15 at-bats in seven spring training appearances, the 33-year-old veteran didn’t jump ship quickly in Miami. Entering the 2023 season, Iglesias failed to earn a major league spot, losing out to fellow veteran infielder Yuli Gurriel.
That, coupled with Iglesias having never made a minor league appearance with the Marlins, led to the 11-year pro opting out of his contract and becoming a free agent.
Now, the 2015 All-Star is off the market again, signing another minor league deal, this time with the San Diego Padres on Tuesday, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
Last season, Iglesias played 118 games with the Colorado Rockies, slashing .292/.328/.380 with three home runs, 30 doubles and 47 RBIs while also primarily playing shortstop. He recorded a .981 fielding percentage in 116 games at shortstop, committing just eight errors with 123 putouts.
With the Padres having no shortage of shortstop options — Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts and Kim Ha-seong — that are also much younger than Iglesias, it’s likely that he won’t see a whole lot of big league action in San Diego, pending a possible injury. Then again, given that Iglesias is a relatively versatile infielder, perhaps the Padres could explore using him elsewhere down the line.
