Infielder Nick Solak has elected free agency after being outrighted by the Padres, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He had been designated for assignment a few days ago. He had the right to opt for the open market because he had been previously outrighted in his career.

Solak, 31, signed a minor league deal with the Padres in the offseason. He had been performing well at Triple-A, slashing .333/.412/.512 for a wRC+ of 125. The Friars added him to the roster when Miguel Andujar hit the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain. That IL placement was backdated by two days and Andujar quickly healed up, so he was reinstated from the IL eight days later. Solak got ten plate appearances in the interim, with one walk, one hit-by-pitch and one single.

He’ll now head to free agency to see what opportunities await him. He will surely be limited to minor league offers. If any club wanted to give him a big league job, they could have just claimed him off waivers.

Solak is a former second-round pick and prospect of note. He has continually put up good numbers in the minors but hasn’t been able to translate those to the majors. In 995 trips to the plate in the big leagues, he has a .249/.325/.367 line and 91 wRC+. That’s not atrocious production but he was never a good defensive second baseman. That pushed him into being more of a first base and corner outfield guy, positions where the barrier for acceptable offense is a bit higher.

As mentioned, he keeps swinging it in the minors. Dating back to the start of the 2024 season, he has a .325/.410/.482 line and 133 wRC+ at the Triple-A level. That has led to limited big league looks but he doesn’t really have the defensive versatility teams look for in a bench bat and he is out of options, so he often gets squeezed off rosters. He has appeared for Texas, Atlanta, Detroit, Pittsburgh and San Diego over the past few years.

Photo courtesy of James A. Pittman, Imagn Images