San Diego Padres outfielder Josh Naylor was mentioned by general manager A.J. Preller and club manager Jayce Tingler as a possible candidate to play designated hitter in 2020.
Preller and Tingler also mentioned Ty France as someone who could see DH at-bats. The Padres didn't anticipate needing an everyday DH this season, so both Naylor and France could split starts. A former first baseman, Naylor hit 8 home runs with a .719 OPS last year over his first 279 plate appearances (94 games) in the majors. He turned 23 this past Monday.
In addition to the 8 homers, Naylor slashed .249/.315/.403 with 15 doubles, 32 RBI, and 29 runs scored as a rookie. He hit better for average against left-handers (.292) than righties (.239), but his slugging was superior versus right-handers (.415) than southpaws (.354).