a versatile player, 'family' and 'one of the best teammates'

Jurickson Profar never really wanted to leave San Diego.

The thought of him returning to the Padres on a minor league deal — and perhaps back to the big-league team before long — brought a few smiles on one side of the Petco Park clubhouse on Friday afternoon.

“My family,” Ha-Seong Kim said in English.

Added Fernando Tatis Jr.: “I love that guy. One of the best teammates I’ve ever had.”

Of course, first thing’s first: Getting up to speed.

Released by the Rockies over the weekend, Profar will initially report to Triple-A El Paso as he looks to get into games for the first time since Aug. 25.

The Padres called up catcher Brett Sullivan and activated left-handed reliever Tim Hill from the injured list as their initial September additions. The 30-year-old Profar’s positional flexibility could serve the team well as a number of players are managing various ailments against the backdrop of next-to-zero postseason odds.

Manny Machado DHed on Friday for the 10 time since the beginning of August because of a muscular strain in his right elbow. Juan Soto’s finger has been an issue all season, Gary Sanchez is playing through knee discomfort and Tatis has been a full-go despite coming off multiple procedures on his wrist and shoulder.

While Padres manager Bob Melvin acknowledged the integrity of the races still in balance — upcoming games against the Giants, Phillies, Dodgers and Astros all have October implications … for them — the health of his players will take precedent.

Although at some point it might take some convincing, as the Padres have seen with Machado’s ankle last year and even the broken bone in his hand earlier this season.

“He’s a tough guy to IL,” Melvin said. “As long as he can go out there and do something and contribute to the team, he’s going to. And he has a very high pain tolerance. You look at his numbers over the years and how often he’s posted up, there’s a reason for it. He continues to want to.”

Given the circumstances, Profar is a good guy to have around if Machado is shut down.

While he has history throughout the infield, Profar has played exclusively in left field the last two seasons, including this struggle of a season with the rebuilding Rockies.

Signed for $7.75 million late in spring training after playing for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic, Profar paired eight homers with a .236/.316/.363 batting line, with road numbers (.193/.275/.297) drastically below his production at hitter-friendly Coors Field (.281/.359/.434).

That he was a free agent at all is owed to the fact that Profar opted out of a deal that included a $7.5 million player option for 2023 and a $10 million mutual option for 2024, a decision that was all but a foregone conclusion as a Scott Boras client after he paired 15 homers with a .723 OPS in 2022.

“I always wanted to stay,” Profar told the Union-Tribune in April. “I didn’t want to (opt out), but I did.”

Profar had hoped to catch back on with the Padres, but the team signed Matt Carpenter to a two-year, $12 million deal, closing that door.

The switch-hitting Profar hit .244/.333/.375 with 26 homers in 345 games with the Padres between 2020 to 2021, starting in left field for two postseason runs.

“It’s nice to have him back,” Melvin said. “Gives us some added depth. … He was a guy that was a favorite here in the clubhouse and played a lot for us last year. Basically led off the entire season. I think things didn’t go how he would have liked this year, but (he is) a guy that our guys love and was very well-embraced in this clubhouse.”