Padres Find Hidden Gem: Recently Non-Tendered Infielder Joins San Diego Roster

The San Diego Padres are bringing infielder Mason McCoy back on a minor league contract with a non-roster invite to big league spring training, according to Russell Dorsey of Yahoo! Sports.

McCoy, a glove-first utility player, returns to the Padres for his second season after signing a minor league contract last winter.

McCoy had been outrighted off Toronto’s 40-man roster before joining San Diego last year. He made his MLB debut in 2023, playing six games as a late-inning substitute for the Blue Jays before getting a more extended opportunity with the Padres after his late August call-up.

A former sixth-round pick, McCoy appeared in 19 games with San Diego, he posted a .204/.278/.245 line over 57 plate appearances, including two doubles.

He made 16 starts at shortstop due to Ha-Seong Kim’s shoulder injury but was sidelined by back inflammation at the end of the season. The Padres chose not to tender him a contract, removing him from the 40-man roster.

In Triple-A El Paso, McCoy had a solid .260/.329/.382 slash line over 432 plate appearances, with 25 stolen bases, primarily playing shortstop. Across four seasons in Triple-A, he has a .239/.318/.400 batting line.

Despite this, McCoy impressed enough that San Diego re-signed him to a minor league deal.

McCoy is versatile, capable of playing any infield position and has some experience in left and center field. He’s expected to begin the season in the minors but could earn an MLB call-up if injuries create a need for another utility player on the Padres’ bench, which already includes Tyler Wade.

McCoy felt comfortable making his Padres debut and it showed when he collected his first career hit.

“When I got called up to the big leagues I didn’t know anybody,” said McCoy, who was 0-for-1 over six games played last year with the Blue Jays. “So it was more of me being quiet, just kind of seeing how everything’s done, whereas now I’ve met guys, played at least a month with a lot of these guys.”

McCoy was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the sixth round of the 2017 MLB Draft, marking the start of his professional career. He spent five years in the Orioles’ system before being traded to the Seattle Mariners on April 7, 2022. While with the Mariners, McCoy never advanced beyond their Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma, but he made history as the first player in the franchise’s history to record 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a season.