
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Padres’ revolving door at shortstop continues two twirl.
The starter at shortstop on Monday as San Diego opened a three-game series with the San Francisco Giants was Alexi Amarista.
That’s the same player interim manager Pat Murphy recently said was going to be more of a utility role player.
“You have to play the utility players, too,” Murphy said.
But Amarista’s start came less than 24 hours after Will Middlebrooks committed two errors at shortstop in a game that didn’t last five innings before being called for rain. Middlebrooks, usually a third baseman, is being asked to switch positions at the major-league level in midseason.
“That’s not easy,” Murphy said, and Middlebrooks proved that against the Rockies.
But Middlebrooks, an athletic player, also has made some nice plays at short. It was believed he and Clint Barmes would split time for the foreseeable future. That includes a future where the Padres might acquire a shortstop if, as expected, they are active at the trade deadline.
But it wasn’t a good look Sunday for a team that claims it can make a playoff run. That’s hard to do without a reliable shortstop, and the Padres still seek just that.
“We knew there were going to be days like that and you saw it first-hand,” Murphy said of Middlebrooks’ struggles.
Amarista committed an error on Monday.