TORONTO - The Toronto Blue Jays added some outfield depth for the stretch drive Tuesday by acquiring Melvin Upton Jr. from the San Diego Padres in exchange for pitching prospect Hansel Rodriguez.
Upton is batting .256 this season with 16 home runs, 45 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. He sat out San Diego's past two games, including Monday's 4-2 loss to Toronto at Rogers Centre.
The Blue Jays also received cash from San Diego.
General manager Ross Atkins said at a news conference that the Jays started looking at Upton when starting right-fielder Jose Bautista injured his toe last month.
“We've been talking to San Diego since Jose's injury because we felt like (Upton) would have complemented us well then, and it just got to the point that the acquisition cost was right,” Atkins said.
Upton, 31, had a .304 on-base percentage and a .439 slugging percentage in 92 games for San Diego. He was in his second season with the Padres.
“What attracted us to him was several things, the defence at all three positions, speed, baserunning, power, versatility and depth,” Atkins said.
He joins an outfield mix in Toronto that includes regular starters Bautista, Kevin Pillar and Michael Saunders. Ezequiel Carrera has served as the primary backup outfielder.
With Carrera sidelined with an Achilles injury, Upton will be looked upon to fill in for Toronto's starting outfielders as the Jays press for a playoff spot.
“If for some reason those guys just need a spell ... we feel much more protected now than we did yesterday,” Atkins said.
Bautista and Saunders are in the final year of their respective contracts. Upton, meanwhile, is in the fourth year of a US$75.25-million, five-year deal he signed with the Atlanta Braves before the 2013 season.
Upton will earn $16.45 million next season. He was selected by Tampa Bay with the second overall pick in the 2002 draft and made his big-league debut with the Rays in 2004.
“Im excited to join my new ↕BlueJays teammates today and can't wait to help continue the winning tradition that's been built here. #letsgo,” Upton said on Twitter.
Toronto will make a move to open a roster spot before Tuesday's game.
The Blue Jays are in the thick of the playoff race in the American League East. The defending division champions entered play Tuesday with a 56-44 record, three games behind the 58-40 Baltimore Orioles.
The Boston Red Sox are 2 1/2 games behind the Orioles at 55-42. The Red Sox and Blue Jays currently hold the two American League wild-card spots.
The struggling Padres are looking to the future. San Diego took a 43-57 mark into Tuesday's game.
The 19-year-old Rodriguez is in his third season with Bluefield in the Rookie level Appalachian League. He's 2-1 with a 3.06 ERA in six starts.
Rodriguez was originally signed by Toronto as an international free agent in January 2014 out of the Dominican Republic. He made his pro debut in the Blue Jays organization that season.
Over parts of three minor-league seasons with the Blue Jays, he has a 3-6 record with a 4.61 earned-run average.
With files from The Associated Press.
