Former Tigers player Niko Goodrum endures scary moment at Padres spring training

A former Detroit Tigers utility man, now playing in the San Diego Padres organization, made headlines Monday — but not the good kind — when he was at the center of a scary moment during a spring training game at Peoria Stadium.

In the top of the eighth inning of the Padres' game against the Cincinnati Reds, second baseman Niko Goodrum took a line drive to the face off the bat of Reds outfielder Blake Dunn. Two runs scored on the play in what would end up being a 9-3 Padres loss, and Goodrum – who remained on the ground for several minutes, visibly shaken up – wound up exiting the game. He had just entered the game in the previous inning to pinch run for starting second baseman Jake Cronenworth.

The Padres have yet to provide an update on Goodrum's injury status. The 33-year-old signed a minor league deal with San Diego this offseason that included an invite to big league camp, where he's hit .273 and drawn six walks through nine games.

Former Tigers utility man Niko Goodrum battling for Major League opportunity with Padres

Originally selected by the Minnesota Twins in the second round (No. 71 overall) of the 2010 MLB Draft, Goodrum has spent parts of seven seasons in the Majors – four of which came with the Tigers from 2018-21. He was a solid utility player for Detroit over those four seasons, slashing .232/.306/.401 in 376 games. He was also worth 6.3 fWAR during that time while logging reps at all three outfield spots in addition to first base, second base, third base and shortstop.

Slowed production from Goodrum ultimately caused the Tigers to outright him off their roster during the 2021-22 offseason. He hasn't held down a steady job in MLB since then, amassing just 66 big league games over the last three years in brief stints with the Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Angels. After spending the first half of the 2023 campaign in the Boston Red Sox's minor league system, Goodrum spent the second half in South Korea's KBO league and slashed .295/.373/.387 in 50 games with the Lotte Giants.

Goodrum hit just .103/.188/.103 at the big league level last year. As is often the case with fringe Major Leaguers, though, his Triple-A numbers have been much stronger. Now with his sixth organization in the last calendar year, Goodrum is hoping to parlay his defensive versatility into his next big league opportunity with a San Diego team that has lost some key pieces in free agency this past offseason.

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