France joins Padres, may get some time at 2B

SAN DIEGO -- Ultimately, Ty France's red-hot bat was simply too good to ignore.

The Padres promoted their 24-year-old slugger on Wednesday morning, and he arrived in San Diego two hours before first pitch of the Padres' 1-0 win over the Mariners. Never mind that France doesn't have an obvious position.

"I'll still continue to fight and hopefully get a starting job," France said. "But it's whatever it takes to help the team win."

France is primarily a third baseman. The Padres have Manny Machado. He's played first base, too. They have Eric Hosmer. France could probably handle an outfield corner. But San Diego is deeper there than anywhere else on the diamond.

So France -- a replacement for Jose Pirela, who landed on the injured list with a left oblique strain -- will serve primarily as a pinch-hitter. He might find himself at second base, too, where he's played all of six Minor League games, all within the past 10 days.

"He's done everything he could possibly do," manager Andy Green said. "He's also started, in the last five days, to embrace a new position he's never played before in his life. He's done reasonably well there to start. We'll get a look at him here as time passes."

The Padres clearly promoted France for his bat more than anything else. He was hitting .423/.500/.885 at Triple-A El Paso, and he'd recently taken home Pacific Coast League Player of the Week honors. France has homered nine times in 92 plate appearances.

"He's not coming up here to be the primary second baseman by any stretch," Green said. "He's coming up here to be a bat off the bench and hopefully have an opportunity to drive in some big runs."

Entering Spring Training, France was the front-runner for the starting third-base job in San Diego. Then Machado signed in late February, seemingly blocking his path.

France raked all spring nonetheless, and he's carried that over into the season. The Padres were thrilled with his response to the Machado signing.

"Bringing Manny over was awesome, and it was awesome for me to get to pick his brain in spring," France said.

Now, France might soon share an infield with Machado. The Padres are in dire need of production at second base. Their .138 batting average at the position is the worst mark in the Majors, and their 31 wRC+ is the worst in the National League. Starter Ian Kinsler has been excellent defensively, but he owns a .472 OPS in 76 plate appearances. Kinsler started Wednesday, but at some point, France will get a chance there.

When France pulls on his Padres uniform for the first time, it'll mean something extra to him, too. France attended San Diego State, where he played for legendary Padre Tony Gwynn, who served as head coach there before he passed away in 2014.

"Getting to play for coach Gwynn at San Diego State, I'll hopefully get to enjoy today's experience and not let it overwhelm me," France said. "After he got to play here, to be able to call myself a Padre now, it's pretty awesome."