Catcher Elias Diaz, the 2023 All-Star Game MVP, is back in the major leagues after the San Diego Padres selected his contract from Triple-A El Paso.
The Padres also reinstated left-hander Wandy Peralta (thigh) from the injured list, recalled left-hander Tom Cosgrove, optioned right-hander Randy Vasquez to Triple-A and designated right-hander Lake Bachar for assignment.
Major league rosters can expand by two players for the remainder of the regular season, starting Sunday.
Diaz, 33, was released by the Colorado Rockies on Aug. 16 after he batted .270 with five home runs and 36 RBIs in 84 games this season. While becoming a first-time All-Star last season, Diaz batted .267 with 14 home runs and 72 RBIs.
In last season’s All-Star Game at Seattle, Diaz hit a go-ahead two run home run in the eighth inning as the National League went on to a 3-2 victory over the American League.
A career .252 hitter over 10 seasons, Diaz has 61 home runs and 294 RBIs in 712 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Rockies. He signed a minor league deal with the Padres last week.
Peralta, 33, was 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA in 41 relief appearances earlier this season. In nine career seasons for four different clubs, he is 21-20 with a 3.94 ERA in 426 appearances (one start).
Cosgrove, 28, was 0-1 with an 11.66 ERA in 18 relief appearances this season and last pitched in the major leagues on June 26.