BREAKING: Padres select OF Dustin Harris, option Sung-Mun Song
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Prior to their series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the San Diego Padres are adding some depth on the bench.
San Diego is nearing a transaction that will see outfielder Dustin Harris added to the 40-man roster. Harris, 27, would add another left-handed bat to the bench. The Padres organization has officially announced the move, with Lucas Giolito moving to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man roster spot. To clear room on the active roster, utilityman Sung-Mun Song has been optioned to Triple-A El Paso.
We have selected OF Dustin Harris (No. 29) from Triple-A El Paso and optioned INF Sung-Mun Song to El Paso. To make room on the 40-man roster, we transferred RHP Lucas Giolito to the 60-day IL.
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 24, 2026
It has been an eventful campaign for the 27-year-old Harris, to say the least. The former A’s 11th-rounder opened the year in the White Sox organization, and even played in six games with the Pale Hose this season before getting designated for assignment. The Houston Astros claimed him off waivers, needing left-handed depth in the outfield. Houston gave him all of 11 games to prove himself, and he slashed .226/.286/.290 before getting DFA’d once more. This time, Harris cleared waivers and elected free agency. He’d go on to re-sign with the White Sox, playing at Triple-A Charlotte before being released in early July.
Harris signed with the Padres organization on July 8, and has done nothing but hit. In 29 games with the Padres’ top affiliate, Harris has slashed .350/.422/.617 for a 1.039 OPS and 148 wRC+. In just over a month’s worth of games, he has six home runs, 25 RBI, and has gone 10-for-11 in the stolen base department. Harris has walked in 10.4% of his plate appearances with a minuscule 8.9% strikeout rate. With San Diego, Harris will likely provide a left-handed hitter off the bench who can fill in at all three outfield positions,
Dustin Harris launches a two-run homer to center, scoring Nick Pratto! The Chihuahuas cut the deficit to 5-3 in the fifth. pic.twitter.com/9atiaoQugx
— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) August 19, 2026
Though San Diego had a full 40-man roster, the team opened a roster spot by moving right-hander Lucas Giolito to the 60-day injured list. Giolito has been on the IL since June 23. His timeline for a return is unknown, since he had yet to begin facing opposing hitters as of the last known update surrounding his IL stint back on August 10.
The Padres begin a three-game set against the Pirates Monday night at 6:40 pm.
A born and raised San Diegan, Diego Garcia is a lifetime Padres fan and self-proclaimed baseball nerd. Diego wrote about baseball on his own site between 2021-22 before joining the East Village Times team in 2024. He also posts baseball content on his YouTube channel “Stat Nerd Baseball”, creating content around trades, hypotheticals, player analyses, the San Diego Padres, and MLB as a whole.
A 2024 graduate of San Diego State, Diego aims to grow as a writer and content creator in the baseball community.