Back in December the Padres made a boatload of moves. One of them — one of the smaller ones — was sending Ryan Hanigan (who they only had for two days) to Boston for Will Middlebrooks. The idea was that he’d play first or third and add some offense to a weak infield.
Well, that didn’t work. Just now the Padres optioned Middlebrooks to Triple-A El Paso.
Middlebrooks played mostly at third, but then played some shortstop as Yangervis Solarte took over as the everyday third baseman. But that offensive part hasn’t come to fruition, as he has hit a mere .212/.241/.361.
Abraham Almonte has taken his spot on the roster.
-- Craig Calcaterra, NBC's Hardball Talk