Padres DFA 2x World Series champion amid Luis Arraez, Jason Heyward return

The San Diego Padres made a big roster decision on Tuesday as the NL West team designated veteran first baseman Yuli Gurriel for the assignment ahead of the series opener against the San Francisco Giants.

The Padres also placed infielder Mason McCoy on the 10-day injured list to make room on the roster for the incoming Luis Arraez and Jason Heyward. The duo returned to the lineup after their respective Injury concerns.

Arraez was placed on the 7-day concussion IL after his collision in Houston last week. However, with Arraez back into action, Gurriel was unlikely to get any time at first base.

Padres manager Mike Shildt talked about the decision to DFA the two-time World Series winner.

"We’ve moved on from Yuli, which hurts,” Shildt said. “Guri was quite a pro. We enjoyed every moment he was here. It’s just a decision we made with guys coming off [the IL].”

The return of Luis Arraez and Jason Heyward is a big boost for Padres offense, which has struggled over the last few games. The NL West team had scored just five runs in five games heading into Tuesday's game against the Giants.

Luis Arraez,. Jason Heyward help Padres end losing streak against Giants

Luis Arraez went 1-for-3 after missing a week of action, with an RBI. Jason Heyward registered two hits on four plate appearances on his return, driving in a run for the team.

Arraez and Heyward's return helped the Padres to a crucial 7-4 win against their NL West rivals. It was also the team's first win in five games after four consecutive defeats, including a series sweep against the Tampa Bay Rays.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash