Report: Padres release Owings
Micah Owings has a busy to-do list this winter.
The right-hander pitcher must rehab his right elbow after undergoing season-ending surgery, and he apparently must find a new team, too. According to MLB.com, the San Diego Padres put Owings on release waivers Tuesday.
Owings, 30, made just six appearances for the Padres this year, all in April, before he was shut down due to a strained right forearm. He was 0-2 with a 2.79 ERA.
With his recovery stagnating, Owings went on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tucson in early July to serve as a first baseman and outfielder.
"I'm not giving pitching up," Owings said at the time, "but I see myself in the future as being a position player first and a pitcher second."
He wound up hitting .444 (4-for-9) in six games with Tucson before his elbow flared up. Owings had bone spurs and floating particles removed from the elbow in late July.
Over six major league seasons -- three with the Arizona Diamondbacks, two with the Cincinnati Reds and this year with the Padres -- Owings has a 32-33 record with a 4.86 ERA in 138 games (68 starts).
As a hitter, Owings has a .283 career average with a .310 on-base percentage, a .502 slugging percentage, nine homers and 35 RBI in 219 at-bats. Those numbers would indicate he'd make a solid everyday player, assuming he could prove adequate as a fielder.
