Padres' 31-year-old free agent signing designated for assignment

Padres' 31-year-old free agent signing designated for assignment originally appeared on The Sporting News

The San Diego Padres have undergone a lot of change since the start of the season. Things especially look different after A.J. Preller added a lot of talent at the trade deadline, including infield depth in Will Wagner and Ryan O'Hearn.

As a result of those moves, along with an oft-injured player making his return, the Padres designated one of their offseason free agent signings for assignment. The 31-year-old Mike Brousseau was DFA'd ahead of the Boston Red Sox series, according to MadFriars.

After missing seven weeks with plantar fascitis, Tirso Ornelas has been activated from the IL in El Paso.
Infielder Ripken Reyes shuttles back to San Antonio, while Mike Brosseau, who signed as a free agent during the offseason, has been released.

— MadFriars - The source for Padres Prospects news (@madfriars) August 8, 2025

Tirso Ornelas, who had been dealing with plantar fasciitis, was activated off the injured list, while Ripken Reyes was sent to San Antonio, and Brosseau was designated for assignment to open a spot for Ornelas.

In the offseason, Brosseau signed a one-year deal with the Padres. But, he never saw time in the Majors, as he played 86 games in Triple-A for the Padres' affiliate.

There, he had a .222 batting average in 302 at-bats with 67 hits, 38 runs scored, 14 doubles, nine home runs, 39 RBIs, 33 walks, and 68 strikeouts. His .666 OPS was over .100 points lower than his 2024 minor league OPS of .773. 

MORE: Padres trade Ryan Bergert, Stephen Kolek to Royals for a new catcher

He didn't make the Majors and hasn't seen MLB action since the 2023 season with the Milwaukee Brewers, where he played 23 games and had a .653 OPS.

Brosseau can slide into the lineup at every infield position other than shortstop. But, even with his versatility, the Padres never called him up to the Majors.

Once they added Wagner to be their MLB infield depth, Brosseau's spot in the organization was up in the air. Along with being the El Paso third baseman, barring a Manny Machado injury, it didn't seem likely he was going to get the call.

The veteran infielder has bounced between the Majors and minors his entire career, and now, he's a free agent after the Padres cut ties with him after a lackluster minor league stint in El Paso.

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