The Padres designated Hunt for assignment Monday.
The transaction frees space on the 40-man roster for Nick Pivetta (forearm), who is back from the 60-day injured list to start Monday's game versus the Nationals. Hunt struck out in all three plate appearances during his brief time in the majors earlier this season, and he's slashed .301/.381/.617 with 11 homers in 42 contests at hitter-friendly Triple-A El Paso.