Inside The Padres

Padres' 29-Year-Old Rookie Enjoys Once-In-a-Lifetime Moment

Maren Angus-Coombs

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
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When Mason McCoy made his big league debut last season with the Toronto Blue Jays, he felt alone. He didn't know anyone and it wasn't a comfortable feeling.

The San Diego Padres fixed that when they selected his contract from Triple-A El Paso before Wednesday's game.

Third base coach Tim Leiper was the first familiar face to stop by McCoy's locker. Former Triple-A teammates Sean Reynolds, Bryce Johnson, Donovan Solano, and David Peralta followed.

“When I got called up to the big leagues I didn’t know anybody,” said McCoy, who was 0-for-1 over six games played last year with the Blue Jays. “So it was more of me being quiet, just kind of seeing how everything’s done, whereas now I’ve met guys, played at least a month with a lot of these guys.”

The comfortable feeling McCoy had with the Padres bubbled over into the game, which resulted in his first career major league hit, driving a single to right field off Minnesota Twins reliever Cole Sands in the bottom of the sixth inning.

The Twins threw the ball into the Padres dugout so McCoy could have it as a keepsake.

San Diego called up McCoy after shortstop Ha-Seong Kim was placed on the injured list. Fernando Tatis Jr. was transferred to the 60-day IL, a paperwork move that opened up a spot on the 40-man roster. Matthew Batten was optioned to Triple-A to open a spot on the 26-man roster.

McCoy was hitting .260/.329/.382 with five homers in 108 games in Triple-A, with 105 of his starts this year at shortstop.

“We got a guy that’s played more consistently at shortstop and that’s what we got an opportunity for him to do,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said.

McCoy turned pro after Baltimore grabbed him in the sixth round of the 2017 MLB Draft. He spent five years in the Orioles' farm system before getting traded to the Seattle Mariners on April 7, 2022. McCoy never advanced past Seattle's Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma but became the only player to have 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in the team's history.

McCoy was traded to Toronto in July 2023 and elected free agency in November, leading him to signing a free-agent minor league deal with San Diego in the offseason.

McCoy got his first start at shortstop on Thursday against the Mets.

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Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. Despite being raised in the South, her sports obsession has always been in Los Angeles. She is currently a staff writer for the LA Sports Report Network.

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