Christian Villanueva: Joining Yomiuri Giants

Villanueva (finger) was sold to the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan on Tuesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

It was originally reported that Villanueva was headed to the Hanshin Tigers, but he was actually sold to the Giants. The 27-year-old had a hot start with San Diego this past season, but ended up with a .236/.299/.450 slash line before a broken finger ended his season in August. The Padres will instead look to their younger infield options, namely top prospect Fernando Tatis.