Quote of the day: Josh Hamilton is "not that stupid" - MLB

As you probably know, Josh Hamilton was back in the starting lineup last night for the first time since September 4 due to fractured ribs. He went 0-for-3 and left the game after six innings, by the way.

His return is a promising sign for the Rangers’ playoff hopes, but that’s not why I’m mentioning him here. You see, a funny thing happened in the very first inning of the ballgame, as Hamilton appeared to make a diving attempt to catch a ball. No kidding. You can watch the replay here.

Here’s how he described the halfhearted dive to Anthony Andro of the Dallas Morning News.

“I didn’t dive for it,” Hamilton said. “I’m not that stupid. I reached
for it, and at the last second it was tailing away from me and I
basically fell. I hope people don’t think I’m that stupid.”

It looked like his instincts took over before he realized, “Oh boy, I need to take it easy here,” then he just flopped. Thankfully he is just fine, as evidenced by the smile on his face, but the audible gasps from the crowd were just priceless.

SAN DIEGO — The scuffling San Diego Padres claimed catcher Gary Sánchez off waivers from the New York Mets.

The two-time All-Star was designated for assignment after playing in three games for the Mets. He went 1 for 6 with three strikeouts and an RBI, looking shaky at times behind the plate.

With the disappointing Padres (24-29) getting meager offensive production at catcher, they hope Sánchez can provide a boost. Austin Nola is batting .131 with three extra-base hits and a paltry .434 OPS in 39 games. His part-time platoon partner, second-stringer Brett Sullivan, is hitting .170 with four extra-base hits and a .482 OPS in 21 games since getting called up from the minors April 16.

Luis Campusano has been on the injured list since April 17 and is expected to be sidelined until around the All-Star break following left thumb surgery.

San Diego is responsible for just over $1 million in salary for Sánchez after assuming his $1.5 million, one-year contract.

The star-studded Padres have lost seven of 11 and are 3-3 on a nine-game East Coast trip. They open a three-game series at Miami.

San Diego becomes the third National League team to take a close look at the 30-year-old Sánchez this season. He spent time in the minors with San Francisco before getting released May 2 and signing a minor league contract a week later with the Mets, who were minus a couple of injured catchers at the time.

After hitting well in a short stint at Triple-A Syracuse, he was promoted to the big leagues May 19. When the Mets reinstated catcher Tomás Nido from the injured list last week, Sánchez was cut.

Sánchez’s best seasons came early in his career with the New York Yankees, where he was runner-up in 2016 AL Rookie of the Year voting and made the AL All-Star team in 2017 and 2019.

He was traded to Minnesota before the 2022 season and batted .205 with 16 homers and 61 RBIs in 128 games last year.

With the Padres, Sánchez could also be a candidate for at-bats at designated hitter, where 42-year-old Nelson Cruz is batting .245 with three homers, 16 RBIs and a .670 OPS, and 37-year-old Matt Carpenter is hitting .174 with four homers, 21 RBIs and a .652 OPS.