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Former Dodger David Peralta Joins Padres, Blames 2023 Surgery for Slow Start
The San Diego Padres signed former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder David Peralta to a minor-league contract Saturday and called him up for his season debut on Wednesday.
Peralta drove in a run and struck out in an 0-for-2 performance against the Cincinnati Reds in his first major league action of the 2024 season. He also hit into a forceout with a contact play on, leading directly to a Padre run.
What took Peralta so long to get back to the majors? According to the former Silver Slugger and Gold Glove winner, his slow start is because of the off-season flexor tendon surgery on his left elbow. Peralta underwent the procedure last October, immediately after his only season with the Dodgers.
“I knew when I had the surgery in the offseason (that) this year was going to be really tough,” Peralta told Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
“And it’s been really tough for me trying to find my comeback to the big leagues. I’ve been grinding and doing my best and prove to everyone that I’m healthy. I really appreciate and am really grateful that San Diego and took that and they said, ‘Hey David, we need your help.’ And I’m here to help the team win.”
Peralta played in 133 games with the Dodgers in 2023, hitting .259/.294/.381 with 7 home runs and 55 runs batted in out of the left field position. After a rough start, the veteran outfielder heated up from May through August hitting nearly 300 over 86 games but he fell into a tailspin in September and those struggles carried into the playoffs in October.
Again, the surgery comes as a surprise as the Dodger front office told reporters just last week that no surgeries were on the table for any players. So, do with that what you will.
The Dodgers were not expected to make a run at bringing Peralta back in 2024 and instead handing the keys to left field to one of their up-and-coming rookies or by filling it via free agency once again. Peralta signed a one-year, $6.5 million deal just before the start of spring training in February.
Update
A source revealed to Jack Harris of the LA Times that Peralta underwent a flexor tendon repair. He’d been dealing with the injury since the All-Star break.