Padres Lose Outfielder To IL, Call Up Red-Hot Replacement


The San Diego Padres have placed outfielder Wil Myers on the 10-day injured list with a bruised thumb, while calling up a sizzling Trayce Thompson from Triple-A. 

Myers was off to a slow start at the plate this season, hitting just .218 with a .527 OPS, no home runs and 7 RBIs. It's quite likely that the thumb injury has played a big role in his difficulties thus far. He originally sustained it a couple of weeks back, and re-injured it on Tuesday. 

Last season, Myers hit .256 with 17 home runs and 56 RBIs in 146 games played. That followed a monster season in the shortened 2020 schedule, when he registered a .959 OPS with 15 HR and 40 RBIs in just 50 games. 

To replace Myers, the Padres called up 31-year-old outfielder Trayce Thompson—the younger brother of the NBA's Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson. Trayce has spent parts of 5 seasons in the big leagues, last with the Chicago Cubs last season, where he mustered up 4 home runs and 9 RBIs in just 28 at-bats, with a 1.114 OPS. 

Once a highly-regarded prospect with power and speed, Thompson has only managed to hit .208 in 217 total big league games, with 26 homers and 11 stolen bases, with 4 different teams. He's off to a blistering start, however, with Triple-A El Paso this season. 

Thompson has blasted a ridiculous 9 HR to go with 17 RBIs in just 16 games. He sports a .316 average and a 1.244 OPS.  

Photo Credit:  USA TODAY NETWORK