Pauley is starting at third base and batting ninth in Saturday's contest against the Blue Jays, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Pauley started the season in the majors due to Manny Machado being limited to DH duties with an elbow injury. Pauley went 2-for-15 with one home run and three RBI before being optioned to Triple-A El Paso on April 9. He's had better success in the minors, slashing .290/.436/.677 with four home runs and 11 RBI over 39 plate appearances in Triple-A. Pauley will hope to bring some of that production from El Paso to his second big-league stint. The Padres optioned Matthew Batten to make room for Pauley, per Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune.
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Padres' Graham Pauley: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
Pauley was optioned to Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday.
Pauley has struggled to start the 2024 season, having recorded just two hits in 15 plate appearances. Before being optioned, the third baseman was battling with veteran Tyler Wade for playing time. The 23-year-old made only three starts, but he should have more opportunity for regular at-bats in El Paso. Brett Sullivan was recalled from Triple-A El Paso in a corresponding move.
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Padres' Graham Pauley: Out of starting lineup
Rotowire
Pauley is out of the lineup Sunday against the Giants.
Pauley has gotten three starts out of 11 games at third base so far this year but will sit out another amidst some batting struggles as veteran Tyler Wade will get his seventh start of the season. The rookie is currently batting .154 in 13 at bats this year, and he'll likely need to improve in order to see a larger share of the playing time at the hot corner.
Padres' Graham Pauley: Belts first big-league homer
Rotowire
Pauley went 1-for-2 with a three-run home run in Saturday's loss to San Francisco.
Pauley opened the game on the bench but entered as a pinch hitter for Fernando Tatis in the eighth inning with San Diego down eight runs. The rookie grounded out in his initial at-bat but got another chance in the following frame and produced a three-run shot to right field for his first long ball as a major-leaguer. Pauley batted .308 and went deep 23 times in the minors last season after being a 13th-round draft pick in 2022, and it will be interesting to see what he can do at the big-league level this year if he can get enough playing time.
With Manny Machado (elbow) limited to DH duties for the time being, Pauley will join the Padres' big-league roster to give the team another option at third base until Machado is healthy enough to return to the field. Pauley began 2023 in Single-A and managed to reach Double-A before the season ended, slashing .308/.393/.538 across 551 plate appearances between three levels. The 23-year-old's bat has remained hot over the course of spring training, and he could see a few big-league starts if his performance carries over into the regular season.
Padres' Graham Pauley: Will be on roster for Korea series
Rotowire
Pauley has been told he will be on the Padres' roster for their March 20-21 series in South Korea against the Dodgers, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Pauley seems likely to start at third base while Manny Machado (elbow) is limited to designated hitter, at least against right-handed pitching. When Machado might be ready to play the field in games again isn't clear, but Pauley will have a chance until then to show he deserves to stick around. The 23-year-old slashed .308/.393/.539 with 23 home runs and 22 stolen bases over three minor-league levels in 2023 and should be on deep-league radars.
Padres' Graham Pauley: Option for starts at third base
Rotowire
Pauley is in the running to start at third base for the Padres while Manny Machado (elbow) is limited to designated hitter duty, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Machado will not be ready to play third for the team's March 20-21 series in South Korea against the Dodgers and perhaps for a bit longer than that. That opens up some playing time at the hot corner, with Pauley, Matthew Batten and Eguy Rosario in the mix, per Acee. Pauley is not on the 40-man roster, has yet to advance past Double-A San Antonio and is not a strong defender, factors which could work against him cracking the Opening Day roster. However, he's forced himself into the conversation this spring by putting up a 1.012 OPS with one home run in 12 games. The 23-year-old slashed an impressive .308/.393/.539 with 23 home runs and 22 stolen bases over three minor-league levels in 2023.
