The San Diego Padres announced they have acquired right-handed pitcher Hansel Rodriguez from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. and cash considerations. Executive vice president/general manager A.J. Preller made the announcement.
Rodriguez, 19, has gone 2-1 with a 3.06 ERA (11 ER, 32.1 IP) and 26 strikeouts against 11 walks with a .203 opponents batting average in six starts for the Rookie-Level Bluefield Blue Jays. The right-hander was originally signed by Toronto as an international free agent in January 2014 out of the Dominican Republic and made his professional debut in the Blue Jays organization that season.
Over parts of three minor league seasons with the Blue Jays (2014-16), he has gone 3-6 with a 4.61 ERA (48 ER, 93.2 IP) and 76 strikeouts against 33 walks with a .252 opponents batting average in 25 total games, 19 starts.
Upton, 31, has hit .256 (88-for-344) with 11 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs, 45 RBI and 46 runs scored to go along with 20 stolen bases and a .743 OPS (.304 OBP, .439 SLG) in 92 games for the Padres this season. The outfielder was acquired by the Padres on April 5, 2015 from the Atlanta Braves as part of a six-player transaction.  Originally signed by Tampa Bay as a first-round selection (second overall) in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft, he has hit .245 (1231-for-5027) with 258 doubles, 31 triples, 160 home runs, 570 RBI and 705 runs scored with 293 stolen bases in 1,412 career games played for Tampa Bay (2004, 2006-12), Atlanta (2013-14) and San Diego (2015-16).