Tommy Pham Cleared to Rejoin the Padres
After being sidelined for the start of Summer Camp, Tommy Pham officially returned to the San Diego Padres on Friday. Pham had been quarantined due to COVID-19 for the past two weeks after testing positive during the initial intake. AJ Casavell, who covers the Padres for MLB.com, reported the news first on Twitter.
Tommy Pham, who tested positive for the coronavirus during intake screening, has received two negative tests and gotten full clearance from doctors. He is eligible to join Padres camp.
— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) July 10, 2020
As is now standard protocol around baseball, a player who tested positive must have two consecutive tests that come back with a negative reading. Once that occurs, the player can rejoin their respective team.
With the 2020 season slated to begin in two weeks, the news is a welcome relief for Pham and the Padres. Welcome relief in regards to the fact that Pham is alright and that he is able to start preparing for the season with his teammates.
Tommy Pham’s Impact in 2020
This past offseason, San Diego acquired Tommy Pham from the Tampa Bay Rays. In exchange, San Diego sent them outfielder Hunter Renfroe along with Xavier Edwards and a player to be named later. In addition, San Diego received Jake Cronenworth along with Pham. At the time of the trade, it was seen as a bit of a surprise. After all, both Pham and Austin Meadows were two of the Rays best hitters in 2019.
However, the Padres saw an opportunity by adding Pham to the mix in San Diego. Now, Pham projects to be one of the Padres best hitters and will occupy a spot in the batting order with the likes of Fernando Tatis Jr., Eric Hosmer, and Manny Machado.
Pham is coming off an impactful season. Over the course of 654 plate appearances, or 145 games, Pham slashed: .273/.369/.450. In that sample, the right-handed hitting outfielder recorded 155 hits, 33 doubles, two triples, 21 home runs, 68 RBI, 25 stolen bases, 81 walks, and 123 strikeouts.
While it was a good season, it wasn’t nearly as impactful as his 2018. After the Rays acquired him that year from the St. Louis Cardinals, Pham slashed: .343/.448/.622 over 39 games. In that span, he recorded 49 hits, seven doubles, six triples, seven home runs, 22 RBI, five stolen bases, 25 RBI, and 43 strikeouts.
Another reason San Diego is expecting a lot from Pham is due to his comfort level hitting in Petco Park. Over his six-year big league career, Pham has a career slash line of .368/.415/.684 there. Granted, it’s a small sample size at 11 games or 41 plate appearances, but it still indicates the type of success Pham could have over the course of the coming season when the Padres play at home.
Final Thoughts
In the end, today’s news regarding Tommy Pham is very good. Now, Pham will get two weeks to prepare for the coming season, and he will have the chance to become more comfortable with his new organization. If San Diego has playoff aspirations this year, then they will need Pham to produce at the plate with the likes of the aforementioned Fernando Tatis Jr., Eric Hosmer, and Manny Machado.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
