The Padres non-tendered left-hander Jay Groome on Thursday, casting him into free agency the day his one-year gambling suspension came to an end.
The team had an open spot on the 40-man roster, but right-hander Bryan Hoeing has moved his rehab to Triple-A El Paso and will have to come off the 60-day injured list when his 30-day assignment ends early next week.
Groome, 26, was on the Padres’ 40-man roster and on Triple-A El Paso’s staff last June when MLB announced that investigations into gambling activity as a minor leaguer prior to the Padres acquiring him from the Red Sox would result in a one-year suspension. Fellow Padres minor leaguer Tucupita Marcano received a lifetime ban for bets he placed on the Pirates while playing for the Pirates before returning to the Padres as a waiver claim.
The Padres acquired Groome in August 2022 in the trade that sent Eric Hosmer to the Red Sox. A former first-round pick, Groome has a 5.54 ERA in 447 innings in the minors, including a 6.74 ERA in 207 innings across three different years at the Triple-A level.
Groome, who had been barred from the Padres complex during his suspension, is free to sign with any team.
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