Report: Padres call up veteran Jeff Francoeur

The San Diego Padres called up outfielder turned pitcher Jeff Francoeur, MLB Network’s Peter Gammons reports.

The San Diego Padres called up outfielder turned pitcher Jeff Francoeur, MLB Network’s Peter Gammons reports.  

Francoeur, 30, will mostly return to the outfield and will join the Padres in Chicago for their series against the Cubs.

He spent last season with the San Francisco Giants and the Kansas City Royals, appearing in 81 games. The Padres signed Francoeur to a minor league deal in March after he spent spring training with the Indians.

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The Padres could use all the help they can get at the plate. They are last in the majors in runs scored, hits, RBI, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS. San Diego has also been shut out a National League high 15 times. 

At Triple-A El Paso, Francoeur made seven relief pitching appearances posting a 4.26 ERA in 6.1 innings. He also hit .294 with 15 homers.

- Scooby Axson