Padres acquire Matt Szczur from Cubs

The Cubs traded outfielder Matt Szczur to the Padres for righty Justin Hancock on Monday night, per a team announcement.

Szczur, who turns 28 in July, was designated for assignment by Chicago over the weekend after hitting just 4-for-19 with a double to start the season. He made the team out of spring training as an out-of-options player, but was not productive enough for the Cubs to keep him on their 25-man roster as the season turned to its second month.

Szczur will provide a bit of a veteran presence in the Padres’ backup outfield mix, joining Jabari Blash, Luis Sardinas and Rule 5 pick Allen Cordoba behind starters Manuel Margot, Corey Spangenberg and Hunter Renfroe. He drew some interest from the Braves during spring training, though Atlanta acquired Danny Santana from the Twins earlier on Monday.

Szczur owns a career .243/.295/.370 line with eight homers in 202 major-league games over four seasons, and was a productive backup for the World Champs in 2016. He hit .259/.312/.400 in 200 plate appearances for the Cubs last year, earning a ring in the process.

Hancock, 26, was San Diego’s ninth-round pick in the 2011 draft and has pitched to a 6.23 ERA in 13 innings for Double-A San Antonio so far this year. He was listed as a top-25 system prospect after the 2015 season, but does not appear to be more than an organizational depth add as a 26-year old at Double-A.