The San Diego Padres are next-to-last in scoring in the National League. And while Petco Park certainly plays a role -- the Padres actually rank sixth in the league in road OPS -- everybody looks at the overall numbers and the overall numbers are ugly.
Padres Demote RF Will Venable, Call Up Prospect Blake Tekotte
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When the numbers are ugly, management starts thinking about whoever's numbers are the ugliest ... and in this case, the ugliest numbers among the regulars are owned by the right fielder. According to the Padres, the club has sent Will Venable to Triple-A Tucson and called up prospect Blake Tekotte from Double-A San Antonio.
No word yet on who gets Venable's at-bats, but it seems unlikely that Tekotte would be summoned all the way from the Texas League to ride the bench. Making him an every-day player at this point seems a bit of a reach, though. Baseball America ranked him as the Padres' No. 14 prospect last winter, and this spring he's off to a good-but-not-great start with San Antonio. And Chris Denorfia, who's actually been the Padres' best hitter this season, is the obvious candidate to take over in right field for Venable.
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