Outfielder Matt Szczur officially announced his retirement on his Twitter page earlier this week. The 32-year-old played in five big league seasons from 2014-18. Four of those seasons came playing for the Chicago Cubs, and he finished up with two seasons for the San Diego Padres. In 667 career plate appearances, Szczur hit .231/.312/.355 with 2 home runs, 61 RBI, seven stolen bases and 80 runs scored over 363 games. The Cubs selected him in the fifth round of the 2010 draft out of Villanova, and he made his MLB debut in August of 2014. Szczur was a part of the Cubs World Series team in 2016.
The Philadelphia Phillies released relief pitcher Drew Storen and outfielder Matt Szczur ahead of Sunday's deadline to submit their pool of 60 players eligible to participate in the 2020 season. Both players were non-roster invitees prior to spring training earlier in the year. Storen pitched to a 4.45 ERA in 54 2/3 innings with the Reds in 2017 in his last major league action. Szczur spent 2019 in the Diamondbacks minor league system. His last MLB experience came in 2018 with San Diego, where he hit .187 in 84 plate appearances.
The San Diego Padres are recalling infielder Carlos Asuaje from Triple-A El Paso on Sunday. Asuaje broke Spring Training with the Friars but was optioned after hitting .193 in 121 plate appearances. A natural second baseman, Asuaje learned the ropes of third base in the minors and will bring additional versatility to San Diego's infield. Assuming a bench role upon his return, Asuaje isn't a fantasy consideration. In a corresponding move, outfielder Matt Szczur was designated for assignment. Playing sparingly with only 84 plate appearances, Szczur became expendable with the return of outfielder Wil Myers.
Matt Szczur Picks Up Three Hits in First San Diego Start
San Diego Padres outfielder Matt Szczur, recently acquired from the Cubs to fill the Padres' void in left field, went 3-for-4 in his first start for San Diego on Wednesday. He doubled and drove in a run, hitting in the eighth spot. While he isn't in a very good situation to produce RBI, Szczur could at least help out offensively more than the duo of speedster Travis Jankowski and slugger Jabari Blash, both of whom are well below the Mendoza line. Szczur could get semi-regular playing time until outfielder Alex Dickerson is ready to return next month, but he doesn't figure to have mixed league value.
