Outfielder Nick Martini was claimed off waivers by the Padres, the Oakland A’s announced Wednesday. The A’s had designated him for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for fellow outfielder Seth Brown.
Oakland signed Martini prior to the 2018 season, and he made his MLB debut with the team that June just before his 28th birthday. He eventually earned regular playing time in the second half of the season and put up strong numbers in 55 games, highlighted by an excellent OBP. Due to those on-base skills, the lefty was chosen to bat leadoff in the A’s postseason appearance in the Wild Card Game against the Yankees, where he responded with a 1-for-4 showing on a day when the whole team collected only five hits.