The Mets signed Azocar to a minor-league contract Friday.
Azocar will report to Triple-A Syracuse. The 29-year-old outfielder appeared in 12 games for the Mets earlier this season and slashed .278/.350/.278 with zero extra-base hits, one RBI, five runs scored and one stolen base across 20 plate appearances. He was designated for assignment in May and latched on with Atlanta, only to spend 17 days with the team before he was cut from the 40-man roster.
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Jose Azocar: Heads to open market
Rotowire
Azocar elected free agency Wednesday after clearing waivers.
Rather than remaining in the Atlanta organization after he was designated for assignment Monday, Azocar will assess his options on the open market. The 29-year-old outfielder has had stints in the majors with the Mets and Atlanta this season but has logged just 21 plate appearances between the two squads.
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Braves' Jose Azocar: Latches on with Atlanta
Rotowire
Azocar signed a contract with Atlanta and was selected to the major-league roster Friday.
The 29-year-old elected free agency Wednesday after being designated for assignment by the Mets, but he was quickly able to secure another big-league opportunity. Azocar had a .278/.350/.278 slash line in 20 plate appearances with New York. He will serve as Atlanta's No. 5 outfielder, taking the spot of Stuart Fairchild (finger).
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Jose Azocar: Opts for free agency
Rotowire
Azocar cleared waivers Wednesday and elected free agency, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.
Azocar lost his place on the Mets' 40-man roster Saturday after going 5-for-18 in 12 big-league games and posting a .733 OPS at Triple-A Syracuse. Now a free agent, the 29-year-old outfielder is most likely to receive his next opportunity in the form of a minor-league deal.
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Mets' Jose Azocar: Jettisoned from 40-man
Rotowire
The Mets designated Azocar for assignment Saturday.
Azocar never received much playing time with the Mets, appearing in just 12 games since being selected to the active roster in mid-April and going 5-for-18 with an RBI and five runs scored. He owns a .733 OPS in Triple-A this season, which could be just good enough for another club to claim him off waivers as organizational depth.
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Mets' Jose Azocar: Added to roster
Rotowire
The Mets selected Azocar's contract from Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday.
Azocar will give the Mets another player capable of handling center field with Jose Siri (leg) landing on the 10-day injured list. The 28-year-old Azocar is a career .243/.287/.322hitter over parts of three seasons at the big-league level.
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Mets' Jose Azocar: Loses 40-man roster spot
Rotowire
The Mets designated Azocar for assignment Thursday, Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News reports.
Azocar will give up his spot on the Mets' 40-man roster after slashing .250/.283/.318 with six RBI and seven runs scored across 46 plate appearances in the Grapefruit League. The 28-year-old's career .610 OPS makes it likely he'll pass through waivers unclaimed, at which point he would likely see regular time at Triple-A Syracuse.
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Mets' Jose Azocar: Claimed by Mets
Rotowire
The Mets claimed Azocar off waivers from the Padres on Thursday and optioned him to Triple-A Syracuse, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.
Azocar has split time between the majors and minors this season, posting just a .516 OPS in 61 games at the big-league level. The 28-year-old speedster will give the Mets some outfield depth in the minors.
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Padres' Jose Azocar: Jettisoned from 40-man roster
Rotowire
The Padres designated Azocar for assignment Monday.
The transaction frees up a 40-man roster spot for the return of Fernando Tatis Jr. (thigh) from the 60-day injured list. Azocar has hit just .243/.287/.322 over parts of three major-league seasons, but his speed and ability to play all three outfield spots could appeal to teams via waivers.
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Padres' Jose Azocar: Heading to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Padres optioned Azocar to Triple-A El Paso on Monday.
Azocar will head down to the minors after serving mostly as a defensive substitute and pinch hitter and runner for the big club, reflected by the fact that he has just 79 plate appearances over 61 major-league games this season. His demotion clears a spot on the 26-man active roster for Eguy Rosario, who was recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move.
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Padres' Jose Azocar: Swipes bag in start
Rotowire
Azocar went 0-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base in Monday's loss to the Angels.
Azocar has gotten limited opportunities to play this season, but he made consecutive starts Sunday and Monday with the Padres facing a left-handed starter. He chipped in a double, a run, a walk and a steal over the pair of outings to make his presence felt. However, Azocar was pinch hit for in the ninth inning Monday and is slashing a meager .234/.290/.266 over 70 plate appearances on the campaign, so he's likely to continue to work mostly as a pinch hitter/runner and defensive replacement.
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Padres' Jose Azocar: Chips in during start
Rotowire
Azocar went 2-for-4 during Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Cubs.
Azocar made his 10th start of the season Tuesday, filling in for Jackson Merrill in center field, and received at least four at-bats for the first time since April 25. He delivered a pair of hits off Shota Imanaga for his second multi-hit game of the campaign. Despite operating in a reserve role for the Padres, Azocar is slashing .318/.362/.341 in 48 plate appearances.
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Padres' Jose Azocar: Starting in center field
Rotowire
Azocar will start in center field and bat eighth in Wednesday's game versus St. Louis.
The right-handed-hitting Azocar gets the call in center field with the Cardinals starting southpaw Zack Thompson. Jackson Merrill will begin this one on the bench.
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Padres' Jose Azocar: May give way to Merrill in CF
Rotowire
With rookie Jackson Merrill likely to begin the regular season as the Padres' starting center fielder, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com, Azocar could be looking at a reserve role.
For much of the spring, it looked like Azocar could open the campaign in center for San Diego given the team's lack of other options there. He's done well in Cactus League play, slashing .323/.344/.613 with two homers, seven runs and four RBI over 32 plate appearances, but Merrill has looked just as good with a team-leading 12 hits -- including two homers -- along with six RBI, seven runs, a stolen base and a .343/.395/.600 slash line. Per Cassavell, Padres manager Mike Shildt indicated Tuesday that Merrill would be joining the team for the Seoul Series in Korea to open the MLB regular season March 20-21, which is a strong indication that the rookie will get the first shot to start in center field. If that happens, Azocar would likely be pushed to a fourth-outfielder role behind Merrill, Fernando Tatis and Jurickson Profar.
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Padres' Jose Azocar: Will get a shot in center field
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Padres manager Mike Shildt said last week that Azocar will get a shot in spring training to play center field, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Shildt indicated that while Azocar could play a different position if the team brings in a center fielder from outside the organization, the plan for now seems to be to give the 27-year-old a long look in center. Azocar has plenty of experience at all three outfield spots, but the majority of his time -- particularly in the minors -- has been spent in center. He has just a .633 OPS in 153 games at the big-league level and posted only a .695 OPS at Triple-A El Paso last season, but Azocar did steal 26 bases between the majors and minors in 2023.
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Padres' Jose Azocar: Clubs first big-league homer
Rotowire
Azocar went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run in Friday's 8-3 win over the Athletics.
Azocar's ninth-inning blast produced the final score. The 27-year-old outfielder needed 142 games to hit his first career homer, though he's had few chances this year with just 73 plate appearances over 44 contests. He's done alright when given the chance to hit, slashing .269/.300/.373 with eight RBI, 12 runs scored, four doubles and seven stolen bases, though he's likely to end the year in a part-time role at best.
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Padres' Jose Azocar: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
Azocar was optioned to Triple-A El Paso on Friday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
Azocar will head to El Paso after being activated from the 15-day injured list May 20. Since his return from his elbow injury, Azocar has gone 2-for-10 with two RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base, and he'll now get more consistent playing time in Triple-A. Alfonso Rivas was called up from El Paso on Friday to replace Azocar on the major-league roster.
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Padres' Jose Azocar: Starts for Soto, swipes bag
Rotowire
Azocar went 1-for-3 with a run, two RBI and a stolen base Sunday in a loss to the Yankees.
Azocar wasn't in the original lineup, but he got the start after Juan Soto (back) was scratched. Azocar rounded the bases after singling in the second inning, completing a little-league homer on a pair of New York throwing errors. The speedy outfielder came off the injured list May 20 but had seen minimal time since since his return, going 0-for-3 prior to Sunday. Soto is expected to be back in the lineup Tuesday, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com, which will presumably push Azocar back to the bench.
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Padres' Jose Azocar: Gets good news from MRI
Rotowire
An MRI on Azocar's injured left elbow revealed no damage, and the outfielder is hoping that an injection and rest will allow him to resume baseball activities, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
There were initial concerns that Azocar could have a loose body in his elbow, but the MRI confirmed that to not be the case. However, he's been shut down from baseball activity while the swelling in his elbow subsides, per MLB.com. It's not clear when Azocar may be able to return to action, but he doesn't appear close to rejoining San Diego.
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Padres' Jose Azocar: Placed on 10-day IL
Rotowire
Azocar was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday, retroactive to May 3, with left elbow inflammation.
Adam Engel (hamstring) has been activated off the IL in a corresponding move. Azocar, 26, leaves behind a rough .244/.262/.293 batting line through 20 games (45 plate appearances) this season with San Diego. There is no structural damage, so Azocar will hope an injection and rest will allow him to resume baseball activities in the near future.
