The Padres have informed outfielder David Dahl that he’ll be on the major league roster, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Union-Tribune’s Jeff Sanders suggested earlier this evening things were trending in that direction.
Dahl returns to the big leagues for the first time since 2021. He split last season between the Triple-A affiliates of the Brewers and Nationals, combining for a .279/.345/.442 line over 359 plate appearances. That generally solid work didn’t earn him an MLB spot with either club, however, and Dahl didn’t sign after opting out of his deal with Washington in mid-August. He waited until the offseason before catching on with San Diego on a minor league deal.
The left-handed hitter is no stranger to the NL West. Dahl was a top ten pick and highly-regarded prospect with the Rockies early in his career. He showed a decent amount of promise over his first few seasons, including an All-Star nod amidst a 2019 campaign in which he hit .302/.353/.524 over 100 games. Various injuries made that the only year in which he reached that playing time threshold and contributed to him being non-tendered by Colorado one year later. Between 2020-21, Dahl hit only .201/.239/.299 over 319 plate appearances between the Rockies and Rangers.
It was a solid spring for the 28-year-old. Dahl hit .288/.311/.458 over 59 at-bats in exhibition play. That secured him a spot in the San Diego corner outfield mix. The Friars will be without Fernando Tatis Jr. for the first 20 games as he finishes his performance-enhancing drug suspension. That leaves a revolving door early in the year alongside Juan Soto and Trent Grisham. Dahl and Matt Carpenter are the top offensive options in that group, while defensive specialist José Azocar could crack the roster in a reserve capacity.
Dahl has between four and five years of major league service time. He’d be eligible for arbitration for another season if he gets on track in his new environment and holds his roster spot all year. He still has one minor league option remaining as well, so the Friars could send him to Triple-A El Paso upon Tatis’ return without exposing him to waivers.
The Padres sent Rule 5 draftee José Lopez back to the Rays over the weekend. That transaction opened a spot on the 40-man roster, so the Friars won’t need to make a corresponding move to formally select Dahl’s contract tomorrow morning.
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