When the Padres take on the Rockies at Petco Park Monday night, there will be a new guy in the home dugout. In a move that will be made official earlier Monday, outfield prospect Rymer Liriano has been promoted to the majors less than three weeks after being bumped up from AA San Antonio to AAA El Paso. While the corresponding move is yet to be announced, one would suspect this spells the end of the brief Jeff Francoeur era in San Diego.
In 16 games since being promoted to El Paso on July 23 to take the place of Francoeur, who got the call up to the Padres to fill the suspended Cameron Maybin's roster spot, Liriano batted .452 with 11 doubles in 62 at-bats (in that same time, Francoeur has singled twice in 24 at-bats for a .083 batting average). Before Liriano's dominant stretch with the Chihuahuas, he slashed .264/ .335/ .442 with 20 doubles and 14 homers in 99 games with the Missions. All told, he has hit .291/ .362/ .473 with 31 doubles, three triples, and 14 homes in 433 at-bats over 115 minor league games this season, his first back after missing a full year due to Tommy John surgery. His 14 homers this year are a career high, and his doubles total was just one shy of the 32 he hit in 2012, when he had 32 more at-bats. Rymer hasn't been as run-happy this season as he has in the past; while 20 stolen bases are a far cry from the 66 he swiped in 2011 with Fort Wayne and Lake Elsinore, it's still more than anyone on the big league team has.
Liriano is ranked San Diego's number six prospect by mlb.com, behind mitt-minded super-catcher Austin Hedges, pitchers Max Fried and Matt Wisler, 2013 top pick Hunter Renfroe, and Renfroe's 2014 counterpart, shortstop Trea Turner.