Pirela signed a one-year, $600,000 contract Wednesday with the Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization, the Yonhap News Agency reports.
The 31-year-old will remain in Asia for a second straight season after he spent the 2020 campaign in Japan with Nippon Professional Baseball's Hiroshima Toyo Carp, with whom he batted .266 with 11 home runs and 34 RBI. Pirela, who previously appeared in 302 MLB games with the Yankees, Padres and Phillies from 2014 through 2019, could revisit a return to North America in 2022 if he fares well during his time in Korea.
... See More... See Less
Jose Pirela: Bound for Japan
Rotowire
Pirela was released by the Phillies on Friday in order to sign with a team in Japan, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Pirela got into just 14 games last season with the Padres and Phillies. He'll turn 30 later this month and owns a career wRC+ of 88, so he was unlikely to make a significant impact if he attempted to stick around in the big leagues.
... See More... See Less
Phillies' Jose Pirela: Delivers two-run homer
Rotowire
Pirela went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run Tuesday against the Braves.
Pirela drew a rare start and took advantage by going yard against Dallas Keuchel in the fourth inning. He presumably drew the start ahead of Adam Haseley and Jay Bruce due to southpaw Dallas Keuchel taking the mound. He isn't likely to see regular playing time to close the season as Scott Kingery is also capable of shifting to the outfield to cover for Corey Dickerson (foot).
... See More... See Less
Phillies' Jose Pirela: Headed to majors
Rotowire
Pirela was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Pirela was traded from the Padres to the Phillies at the end of July, and he's now in line to make his team debut after being promoted Tuesday. He's started 72 games in the minors this season in right field, but he's also seen time in left, center and at second base.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Jose Pirela: Dealt to Phillies
Rotowire
Pirela was traded from the Padres to the Phillies on Saturday in exchange for cash.
He was designated for assignment by the Padres, but the Phillies clearly thought he was still worthy of being on a 40-man roster. Pirela, 29, hit .353/.401/.674 with 18 home runs in 55 games at Triple-A El Paso. He will report to the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Jose Pirela: Removed from 40-man roster
Rotowire
Pirela was designated for assignment by the Padres on Monday.
Pirela has made just two appearances for the big club this season, going 0-for-5 with a trio of strikeouts in those appearances. The utility man owns a solid .353/.401/.674 slash line across 55 games with Triple-A El Paso this season, so he could draw some interest on waivers. Travis Jankowski (wrist) was activated from the 60-day IL in a corresponding move.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Jose Pirela: Extends hitting streak to 14 games
Rotowire
Pirela went 1-for-4 with a walk and three strikeouts in Triple-A El Paso's win over Tacoma on Thursday.
With that, Pirela extended his hitting streak to 14 games. During that stretch he's slashing .393/.417/.911 with eight homers and a 31.7 percent K-rate. Pirela initially joined El Paso in late May on a rehab assignment after going down with an oblique injury in April, but he's now a regular member of the Chihuahuas' roster -- the Padres quietly optioned Pirela on June 8. The 29-year-old will have to bide his time and hope another major-league opportunity presents itself.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Jose Pirela: Raking during rehab assignment
Rotowire
Pirela (oblique) has gone 12-for-30 with five home runs, two doubles, nine RBI and eight runs through the first eight games of his rehab assignment with Triple-A El Paso.
Despite being sidelined since late April with the oblique injury, Pirela has shown no issues with generating power from his lower half during his week and a half of the farm. Pirela's 20-day rehab window will draw to a close June 18, but his recent form could prompt the Padres to bring him back before that date. Josh Naylor, who has reached base at a .239 clip while seeing spotty action since being promoted to the majors May 24, could be most at risk of demotion once Pirela is reinstated from the 10-day injured list.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Jose Pirela: Embarks on rehab
Rotowire
Pirela (oblique) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A El Paso on Wednesday.
Pirela has been sidelined since April 24 with an oblique strain, so he'll likely need to appear in a handful of rehab games before being cleared to return from the injured list. The utilityman appeared in just two games with the Padres before landing on the shelf, going 0-for-5 with three strikeouts, and isn't guaranteed a spot with the big club once healthy.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Jose Pirela: Headed to IL
Rotowire
Pirela was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with an oblique strain, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Pirela appeared in just two games with the Padres before suffering the injury. It's unclear how long the issue will keep him sidelined at this point; he'll be eligible to return May 1 should he prove ready. Ty France was recalled from Triple-A El Paso in a corresponding move.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Jose Pirela: Starting Saturday
Rotowire
Pirela will start in left field and hit eighth against the Reds on Saturday.
Pirela struck out as a pinch hitter in Friday's game after getting called up from Triple-A El Paso earlier in the day, and he'll draw his first start of the season Saturday. The 29-year-old was brought up with Manuel Margot on the paternity list, so he might not be long for the big club. He has a pedestrian .259/.309/.392 slash line over 888 career big-league at-bats.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Jose Pirela: Called up by Padres
Rotowire
Pirela was called up by the Padres on Friday.
Pirela's stay on the big-league roster may be a brief one, as he's up to replace Manuel Margot, who was placed on the paternity list in a corresponding move. Pirela hit .249/.300/.345 in 146 games for San Diego last season.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Jose Pirela: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
Pirela was optioned to Triple-A El Paso, Bill Center of MLB.com reports.
Greg Garcia beat Pirela out for the utility infielder spot. He will serve as organizational depth at Triple-A.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Jose Pirela: Enjoying hot spring
Rotowire
Pirela is 12-for-29 with two doubles, two triples and three home runs in 15 spring training games.
Pirela had a breakout season in 2017 with a .288/.347/.490 slash line in 83 games, but struggled during his first full season in the majors last year with a .249/.300/.345 line. The Padres' offseason additions of Manny Machado and Ian Kinsler severely impact Pirela's potential playing time, with prospects Luis Urias and Fernando Tatis Jr. also expected to see major-league roles this season. Pirela is likely slated for a utility role, and is doing his best in spring training to lock down his spot on the Opening Day roster.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Jose Pirela: Goes deep
Rotowire
Pirela went 3-for-4 with a solo home run Monday against the Giants.
Pirela took southpaw Derek Holland deep in the fourth inning to record his fourth home run of the season. Pirela has lost at-bats due to the crowded Padres' lineup, stuck behind Cory Spangenberg at second base while also seeing his role in the outfield diminished due to the emergence of Hunter Renfroe and Franmil Reyes. Overall, Pirela has put together a disappointing campaign, slashing just .247/.301/.331 across 456 plate appearances.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Jose Pirela: Collects three hits in loss
Rotowire
Pirela went 3-for-5 with two RBI in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Rockies.
Pirela raised his batting average to .254 in 390 at-bats this season after hitting a solid .288 across 312 at-bats in 2017. The 28-year-old has scored 52 runs and slapped 27 extra-base hits.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Jose Pirela: Nabs steal in start
Rotowire
Pirela went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's loss to Colorado.
Wil Myers (nose) was scratched from the starting lineup after a pre-game grounder nicked him in the face, so Cory Spangenberg slid over to third base, allowing Pirela to get a rare start against a righty at the keystone. Myers is doubtful for Thursday's series finale, so Pirela could be in line for another start after spending the majority of August in a backup role.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Jose Pirela: Not capitalizing on added opportunities
Rotowire
Pirela will start at second base and hit eighth Sunday against the Cubs.
The Padres are opposing a left-handed starting pitcher (Jon Lester) for the fourth time in six games, with Pirela entering the lineup at the keystone on each occasion. In his prior three starts, Pirela went just 1-for-10, which won't make a compelling case for manager Andy Green to move the 28-year-old back into a full-time role. Instead, Pirela looks to be locked into the short side of a platoon at second base with Carlos Asuaje.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Jose Pirela: Falls into platoon role
Rotowire
Pirela is out of the lineup Sunday against the Diamondbacks.
Pirela finds himself on the bench for the third straight game against a right-handed starting pitcher (Zack Greinke), while Carlos Asuaje gets another nod at the keystone. At this point, it looks like Pirela has settled into the smaller side of a platoon with Asuaje at the position, limiting the fantasy appeal of the former. Though his .263 batting average is well above the MLB mean, Pirela hasn't provided much in the way of categorical juice outside of the runs category. He has managed only three home runs, four steals and 26 RBI across 349 plate appearances on the season.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Jose Pirela: Hits third homer
Rotowire
Pirela went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's loss to the Diamondbacks.
He had sat the previous two games in favor of Carlos Asuaje at second base, and Pirela's playing time may continue to trend downward with Asuaje faring well since his return from the minors. Even after the homer, Pirela is still slugging just .359 this season. According to Fangraphs, Pirela has been a below-replacement-level player so far in 2018.
