Padres' Wes Benjamin: Returns stateside with Friars

The Padres signed Benjamin to a minor-league deal Monday, per MadFriars.

Benjamin was a fifth-round pick of the Rangers in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft. He got into 21 big-league games over 2021 and 2022, posting a 6.80 ERA, 1.71 WHIP and 40:24 K:BB across 45 innings. The left-hander subsequently headed to the KBO, where he posted a 3.74 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 22.8 percent strikeout rate in 406.1 frames over parts of three seasons. Benjamin will likely begin 2025 with Triple-A El Paso.