Batten was recalled from Triple-A El Paso by the Padres on Tuesday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Batten will provide some extra infield protection while Jake Cronenworth (calf) is banged up. The 28-year-old Batten put up a .713 OPS with two homers and two steals over 43 games with the big club last season and can handle every infield position as well as the corner outfield spots.
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Padres' Matthew Batten: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
Batten was optioned to Triple-A El Paso on Monday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
The move further clarifies the Padres' third base picture, as Batten had been in competition with Graham Pauley and Eguy Rosario for playing time at the hot corner until Manny Machado (elbow) is ready to play the field. Batten probably has the best glove of the trio, but he's limited offensively and went just 3-for-24 at the plate this spring.
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Padres' Matthew Batten: Could get look at hot corner
Rotowire
Batten is a candidate for starts at third base for the Padres while Manny Machado (elbow) is limited to designated hitter duty, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Batten is in competition primarily with Graham Pauley and Eguy Rosario for playing time at third base until Machado is ready to play the field. The 28-year-old Batten is known more for his glove than his bat but held his own in 139 plate appearances with the big club last season, posting a .713 OPS with a couple homers. Batten's limited ceiling offensively makes him a lackluster fantasy option even if he were to garner starts for a while.
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Padres' Matthew Batten: Out of Sunday's lineup
Rotowire
Batten is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox.
Batten will sit for the season finale after a run of 17 straight starts, during which he posted a .626 OPS. He's played in 42 games this season and has a .254/.348/.356 slash line with two homers, 11 RBI and 19 runs.
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Padres' Matthew Batten: Nabs first career steal
Rotowire
Batten went 1-for-3 with a walk, a run, an RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's loss to the Astros.
Batten walked, stole second and scored in the fourth inning and added a run-scoring single in the sixth. The theft was his first in the majors after swiping 27 bags in 31 attempts over 86 games at the Triple-A level this season. Batten has been getting near-everyday playing time since his latest call-up Aug. 26, and he's holding his own with a .286/.390/.457 slash line, one homer, four RBI, nine runs and a 6:7 BB:K over 11 games since that time.
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Padres' Matthew Batten: Garners fourth straight start
Rotowire
Batten will start at third base and bat eighth in Sunday's game against the Giants.
Batten appears to have moved into the near-everyday lineup spot that was created when Jake Cronenworth (wrist) landed on the injured list Aug. 26. In addition to making one start at Cronenworth's usual post at second base, Batten has now picked up a pair of starts at third base and one at first base over the Padres' last four games. Manny Machado has been seeing more time at designated hitter of late as a result of Batten's addition to the Friars' infield mix.
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Padres' Matthew Batten: Four hits in loss
Rotowire
Batten went 4-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored in Tuesday's loss to St. Louis.
Batten got the start at third base against left-hander Zack Thompson and rewarded the Padres with a four-hit performance, his second multi-hit effort of the year. Batten's made two starts since he was recalled from Triple-A on Saturday, going 5-for-7 with two doubles and a home run. He's now batting .367 (11-for-30) with two homers, seven runs scored, four RBI and a 1.074 OPS through 34 plate appearances with San Diego this season. While his current pace isn't likely sustainable, Batten has an opportunity for regular playing time while Jake Cronenworth (wrist) is sidelined.
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Padres' Matthew Batten: Smacks second homer
Rotowire
Batten went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and two total runs scored in Sunday's 10-6 loss to the Brewers.
This was Batten's first game action since he was promoted Saturday to take the spot opened by Jake Cronenworth (wrist) going on the injured list. Batten got the start at second base Sunday and made an impact from the bottom of the order. He's hitting .269 with two homers, four RBI, five runs scored and a 3:4 BB:K over 29 plate appearances in the majors this year. Batten doesn't have an obvious path to everyday playing time, but he should be a reserve option in the infield while he's in the majors.
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Padres' Matthew Batten: Summoned to majors
Rotowire
The Padres recalled Batten from Triple-A El Paso on Saturday.
With Jake Cronenworth (wrist) headed for the injured list, Batten will come up from the minors to give San Diego additional infield depth. The 28-year-old is slashing .235/.341/.399 through 413 plate appearances in the minors and has gone 6-for-23 with San Diego this season.
San Diego optioned Batten to Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday.
Batten slashed .261/.320/.391 over 13 games (25 plate appearances) during his four-week stay on the Padres' major-league roster. Jose Azocar has been called up in a corresponding move.
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Padres' Matthew Batten: Logs three hits in loss
Rotowire
Batten went 3-for-4 with one RBI in Monday's 4-3 extra-inning loss to the Rockies.
This was Batten's first career three-hit effort, and he doubled his hit total for the season. The 28-year-old has logged just 19 plate appearances over 10 games, though he's started at first base twice in the last week. He has one home run, three RBI and two runs scored at the major-league level this season, but he's likely to remain primarily in a reserve role.
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Padres' Matthew Batten: Hits first big-league homer
Rotowire
Batten went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run and a walk in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Mets.
Batten made an impact in his first at-bat Saturday, providing the Padres' margin of victory with his first big-league homer. He got 22 plate appearances with the Padres last season but had spent all of 2023 with Triple-A El Paso prior to Tuesday's call-up. He could get another turn at second base Sunday if Ha-Seong Kim (toe) remains out of the lineup, but Batten has no clear long-term path to playing time.
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Padres' Matthew Batten: Recalled from El Paso
Rotowire
San Diego recalled Batten from Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday.
Batten is 28 years old and has appeared in only 15 major-league games, but he can play all around the diamond defensively while offering good speed off the bench.
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Padres' Matthew Batten: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
Batten was optioned to Triple-A El Paso on Saturday.
Batten was fighting for a bench spot but won't break camp in the big leagues. The 27-year-old hit .105/.227/.158 in 22 MLB plate appearances as a rookie last year but posted an .840 OPS at the Triple-A level.
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Padres' Matthew Batten: In Sunday's lineup
Rotowire
Batten (calf) is starting at third base and batting ninth in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Athletics.
Batten has been held out of spring action thus far due to a strained calf, but he'll make his Cactus League debut Sunday. The 27-year-old received his first taste of the big leagues last year and went 2-for-19 in 15 games, but he's likely to be back with Triple-A El Paso to open the 2023 campaign.
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Padres' Matt Batten: Resumes running Wednesday
Rotowire
Batten (calf) resumed a running program Wednesday, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Batten has yet to appear in a Cactus League game because of a strained calf, but he seems to be making progress. The 27-year-old would seem to have enough time to get ready for Opening Day if he can keep moving in the right direction, although he's likely to start the year in the minors, anyway.
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Padres' Matt Batten: Sent down Friday
Rotowire
Batten was optioned to Triple-A El Paso on Friday.
Batten joined the Padres at the end of July but saw minimal playing time during his stint with the big-league club. He'll head back to the minors after Eguy Rosario was called up Friday.
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Padres' Matt Batten: Contract selected by Padres
Rotowire
Batten's contract was selected from Triple-A El Paso on Thursday.
The 27-year-old has spent most of the last three seasons in El Paso and will join the major-league roster for the first time to provide infield depth after Sergio Alcantara was designated for assignment. Batten has slashed .299/.399/.504 with 10 homers, 10 runs, 31 RBI and 13 stolen bases over 59 games with the Triple-A club this year.
