MARTÍN MALDONADO NEWS

Sitting Friday Maldonado is not in the Padres' starting lineup against the Rays on Friday.

Impact Maldonado has started in more games as of late, but he'll rest Friday while Elias serves behind home plate and bats eighth against Rays right-hander Shane Baz. Maldonado is slashing .225/.244/.300 with one home run and two RBI in 41 plate appearances this season.

4 HOURS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Poaching starts from Elias Diaz Maldonado will start at catcher and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Tigers.

Impact Maldonado will pick up his ninth start in 14 games and seems to have at least moved into a timeshare behind the plate with Elias Diaz. The two backstops have produced at a similar level offensively -- Maldonado owns a .572 OPS compared to Diaz's .592 mark -- but Maldonado is regarded as the superior pitch framer of the two. Unless Diaz picks up the pace at the plate to separate himself from Maldonado from a performance standpoint, the playing time could tilt in the latter's favor.

2 DAYS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Heading to bench Wednesday Maldonado is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs.

Impact After submitting a lowly .404 OPS in 48 games with the White Sox before being released last July, Maldonado has enjoyed a relative resurgence in San Diego so far this season. The 38-year-old backstop continues to bring most of his value behind the plate, but he's his own with the bat so far, slashing .250/.276/.357 over 29 plate appearances. As a result, Maldonado has moved into a timeshare at catcher with Elias Diaz, who will be back in the lineup Wednesday after hitting the bench in five of the past seven games. The playing time will likely tilt back in Diaz's favor eventually, but the distribution of starts could be relatively even while he and Maldonado are performing at a similar level offensively.

APRIL 16 • ROTOWIRE

Padres pregame: Martín Maldonado paired with Kyle Hart, Jackson Merrill update Padres are 8-0 at home so far as the prepare to host the Rockies on Saturday

APRIL 12 • SANDIEGOUNIONTRIBUNE.COM

Goes deep in loss Maldonado went 1-for-2 with a solo home run Friday in a 3-1 loss to the Cubs.

Impact Maldonado supplied San Diego's only run of the game with a solo blast to left field in the third inning. The veteran catcher had gone just 2-for-11 heading into Friday, and his homer against Chicago was his first of the campaign. Maldonado and Elias Diaz have split work behind the plate for the Padres pretty evenly so far this season -- the former has played in five games and logged 13 plate appearances while the latter has registered 16 plate appearances and has also appeared in five contests.

APRIL 5 • ROTOWIRE

Shota Imanaga looks quite comfortable once again in his second home opener with the Chicago Cubs

For the second straight year, Shota Imanaga got the ball for the home opener at Wrigley Field

APRIL 4 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Imanaga and Happ lead the Cubs past the Padres 3-1 in Wrigley Field opener

Shota Imanaga pitched one-run ball into the eighth inning in Chicago’s home opener at Wrigley Field, and the Cubs handed San Diego its first loss with a 3-1 victory over the Padres

APRIL 4 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Added to roster The Padres selected Maldonado's contract from Triple-A El Paso prior to Thursday's 7-4 win over Atlanta. Maldonado was used off the bench and struck out in his lone plate appearanc...

Impact Maldonado secured his spot on the Opening Day roster as a backup catcher over Luis Campusano, who was optioned to Triple-A over the weekend. Elias Diaz received the nod behind the dish in Thursday's opener and expected to dominate the playing time at catcher this season, with Maldonado likely being limited to one or two starts per week.

MARCH 28 • ROTOWIRE

Will be part of Opening Day roster Maldonado has been informed that he will make San Diego's Opening Day roster, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Impact Maldonado's shortcomings as a hitter are well-documented -- he hasn't notched a regular-season batting average above .191 since 2020 and slashed a meager .167/.310/.208 during spring training this year. However, the veteran's defense and ability to work with pitchers are well-respected, which appears to be enough for him to break camp with the big club as the Padres' No. 2 catcher behind Elias Diaz. Former vaunted prospect Luis Campusano was optioned to Triple-A El Paso on Monday, but Maldonado's roster spot could be challenged at any point in the season if Campusano shows growth with the bat in the minors.

MARCH 27 • ROTOWIRE

White Sox have a promising group of young catchers as they continue to rebuild

When it comes to the catchers for the Chicago White Sox, Korey Lee sees a common thread

FEBRUARY 15 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Signs on with San Diego The Padres signed Maldonado to a minor-league contract Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Impact Maldonado was released by the White Sox in July of this past season after slashing just .119/.174/.230 in 147 plate appearances. The 38-year-old has also earned a minus-21 Run Value via Baseball Savant over the last two seasons for his defensive work. The Padres do have a tenuous catching situation with Luis Campusano coming off a disappointing season and Brett Sullivan currently slated to back him up, so it's possible Maldonado wins a roster spot.

JANUARY 16 • ROTOWIRE

Wants to continue playing Maldonado wants to play one final season in 2025, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Impact Maldonado, 38, slashed only .119/.174/.230 in 147 plate appearances for the White Sox in 2024 before being released in late July. His defensive metrics have also taken a nosedive over the last two seasons, as he's earned a combined minus-21 Run Value via Baseball Savant. If Maldonado does latch on with a team for 2025, he'd likely have to take a minor-league contract and attempt to win a backup job.

DECEMBER 2, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

The art of throwing out runners with Martin Maldonado | 08/27/2024 Martin Maldonado joins MLB Tonight to talk about the resurging art of throwing out runners

AUGUST 28, 2024 • MLB.COM

Parts ways with White Sox Maldonado was released by the White Sox after he cleared waivers Sunday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Impact The veteran catcher was designated for assignment by Chicago on Wednesday, and it's hardly a surprise he passed through waivers unclaimed. Maldonado has a .119/.174/.230 slash line in 147 plate appearances this season and may have a tough time finding another landing spot in the big leagues.

JULY 21, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Dropped from 40-man The White Sox designated Maldonado for assignment Wednesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Impact After slashing .119/.174/.230 across 147 plate appearances during what has been his worst season at the plate, Maldonado has now officially lost his spot on the White Sox. Given his awful performance, the 37-year-old backstop will most likely pass through waivers unclaimed, at which point he'd have the option to elect free agency.

JULY 17, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

White Sox host the Pirates in first of 3-game series

The Chicago White Sox start a three-game series at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday

JULY 12, 2024 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Unlikely source of power Maldonado went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Twins.

Impact Maldonado entered July with only one home run for the season, but he's now slugged three long balls in his last four games. He'll remain the clear backup to Korey Lee on the depth chart and has typically been drawing a start every three games.

JULY 11, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

White Sox finally beat AL-Central rival Twins, but end up splitting doubleheader

Brooks Lee and Carlos Correa hit consecutive homers and Ryan Jeffers added the go-ahead RBI as the Minnesota Twins split a doubleheader with Wednesday afternoon’s 3-2 victory over...

JULY 10, 2024 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Twins score twice in 11th and improve to 8-0 against White Sox with 8-6 win

Brooks Lee and Manuel Margot drove in runs in the 11th inning and the Minnesota Twins topped the Chicago White Sox 8-6

JULY 9, 2024 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ends power drought Maldonado went 2-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored the three RBI in Wednesday's 8-2 win over the Guardians.

Impact The veteran backstop belted a two-run shot off Tim Herrin in the eighth inning, giving Maldonado his second homer of the year and first since Apr. 26. The 37-year-old has had a miserable season at the plate even by his own poor standards, slashing .096/.144/.160 through 135 plate appearances with a career-worst 34.8 percent strikeout rate, but the White Sox seem content with his defensive contributions when he's in the lineup.

JULY 4, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Erick Fedde pitches 6 strong innings, Martin Maldonado has 3 RBIs and White Sox rout Guardians 8-2

Erick Fedde allowed one run in six innings, Martin Maldonado homered and drove in three runs, and the Chicago White Sox routed the Cleveland Guardians 8-2

JULY 4, 2024 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

White Sox score tying run after intentional balk, beat Diamondbacks 9-2 for rare road win

Chicago scored its first run after an intentional balk, Lenyn Sosa hit a three-run homer and the White Sox picked up a rare road win with a 9-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondback...

JUNE 16, 2024 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cal Raleigh drives in go-ahead run in 7th as Mariners beat White Sox 4-3

Cal Raleigh hit a go-ahead two-run double in the seventh inning and the Seattle Mariners earned a 4-3 comeback win over the Chicago White Sox

JUNE 12, 2024 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Catching while Lee serves as DH Maldonado will start at catcher and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays.

Impact Korey Lee remains the White Sox's No. 1 backstop, but he'll serve as the designated hitter Wednesday to open up a start behind the plate for Maldonado. The 37-year-old backstop has gone hitless in his last six starts and carries a lowly .083/.135/.131 slash line into Wednesday's contest.

MAY 29, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Yankees win 7th in a row, beat White Sox 7-2 for 3-game sweep as Judge and Berti homer

Aaron Judge and Jon Berti homered into Yankee Stadium’s right field short porch, and New York extended its winning streak to seven by beating the Chicago White Sox 7-2 for a three-...

MAY 19, 2024 • ASSOCIATED PRESS