The Padres reinstated Him to the 40-man roster on Tuesday morning so he could serve as the backup catcher for their Wild Card Series against the Cubs. To make room, the team transferred injured reliever Jason Adam—out for the season with a quad issue—to the 60-day IL. Maldonado had been in the organization on a minor league deal after being designated for assignment and released in August.
The move was prompted by Elias Díaz tweaking his left oblique over the weekend, leaving him unavailable. That left Luis Campusano as the only other catcher on the 40-man roster behind starter Freddy Fermin.
While Campusano is on the playoff roster, he hasn’t caught a single inning in the majors this year. Maldonado, though out of the big leagues since the trade deadline, at least developed some familiarity with the Padres’ pitchers earlier this season when he shared duties with Díaz.
In Game 1, Fermin caught Nick Pivetta in a loss. Díaz had handled all of Pivetta’s starts this year and likely would have been behind the plate if healthy.
The plan is for Fermin to catch again in Game 2 and, if needed, a decisive Game 3. Dylan Cease will start opposite a Cubs bullpen game in the second matchup, while Yu Darvish is lined up for a potential series finale. Chicago has yet to name a starter for that contest.
Maldonado, who hasn’t played since July 30 and batted .204/.245/.327 this season, is essentially an insurance option. The 15-year veteran and 2022 World Series champion brings plenty of October experience, having appeared in 65 postseason games with the Astros from 2018–23.
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