SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Padres have traded left fielder Melvin Upton Jr. to the Toronto Blue Jays for minor league right-hander Hansel Rodriguez.
The trade, which continues the Padres’ rebuilding, was announced Tuesday morning, hours before the Padres played at Toronto in the middle game of a three-game series.
Upton has had a big season for the Padres, who are mired in fourth place in the NL West. He is hitting .256 with 16 home runs, 45 RBIs, 46 runs scored and 20 stolen bases. He’s hit three walk-off home runs.
The 19-year-old Rodriguez was 2-1 with a 3.