Various injuries, the last a torn labrum that required season-ending surgery after just 25 games at Double-A Amarillo this year, have limited Jorge Oña to 872 at-bats since the Padres handed him a $7 million bonus in the summer of 2016.
General Manager A.J. Preller is not ready to give up on that investment.
The 22-year-old Cuban was the lone Rule 5 draft-eligible minor leaguer protected by the Padres ahead of next month’s draft. To make room on a full 40-man roster, 29-year-old outfielder Nick Martini was designated for assignment.
The second largest investment when the Padres spent more than $80 million, including overage taxes, on the 2016-17 international class, Oña ranked as high as No.