Padres DFA Luis Perdomo, protect three from Rule 5 Draft

The Padres designated Luis Perdomo for assignment while protecting three players from the Rule 5 Draft.

The Padres made a series of moves on Friday in conjunction with the Rule 5 Draft deadline. In order for players to be protected, they must be on the team’s 40-man roster. And to make room, the franchise designated Luis Perdomo for assignment. Perdomo, 27, recently underwent Tommy John surgery and was likely to be non-tendered anyway. However, should he clear waivers, the Padres may be able to keep him as an option down the line.

The team had a handful of players to decide whether to protect from the Rule 5 Draft, adding Reggie Lawson, Mason Thompson, and Tucupita Marcano to the 40-man roster. Lawson is another recent Padres’ pitcher who underwent Tommy John surgery. He wouldn’t have pitched this year anyway, given there wasn’t a minor league season.

The 23-year-old made 24 appearances, including 22 starts, for High-A Lake Elsinore during the 2018 campaign, fanning 117 batters in 117.0 innings. He also walked 51 during that same span but showed some improvement the following year despite being limited to just six starts at Double-A.

Both he and Andres Munoz had Tommy John surgery in late March, with the latter being included in the trade package to acquire Austin Nola from the Seattle Mariners.

Mason Thompson was drafted in the third round of the 2016 MLB Draft. He posted a 4.94 ERA during the 2018 season in 22 appearances, including 20 starts, for Single-A Fort Wayne. Thompson exhibited excellent strikeout ability, fanning 97 batters in 93.0 innings.

He was limited in the 2019 campaign, making just seven appearances, including six starts, for High-A Lake Elsinore but struck out a batter per inning. The 22-year-old dazzled in the recent Arizona Instructional League, touching between 96-99 MPH on the fastball, as reported by The Athletic‘s Dennis Lin.

The #Padres have designated RHP Luis Perdomo for assignment and selected the contracts of RHPs Reggie Lawson and Mason Thompson and INF Tucupita Marcano.

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) November 20, 2020

Signed as an international free agent in July 2016, Tucupita Marcano has all the makings of a competent baseball player in the big leagues. After hitting .314 in the short-season, Marcano was promoted to Single-A Fort Wayne for the 2019 campaign. The then 19-year-old looked well beyond his years, posting a .270/.323/.337 line with 19 doubles, three triples, two home runs, and 45 RBI’s in 111 games.

He earned Midwest League Player of the Week honors in early May of the 2019 campaign, going 14-for-26 (.538) with a double, a triple, and three RBI’s. Marcano took the bulk of his at-bats from the leadoff and two-hole spot in the batting order. He excelled in two areas: making contact with the baseball — striking out in less than 10 percent of his at-bats — and logging a .976 career fielding percentage at second base, his primary position in the minors.

Ryan Sikes

Padres writer/editor for East Village Times. LA Kings writer/editor for Hockey Royalty. IBWAA member.