Dodgers trade Matt Beaty to Padres for minor league infielder/pitcher River Ryan

The Dodgers found a home for Matt Beaty, trading the first baseman and corner outfielder on Monday to the Padres in exchange for minor league infielder and pitcher River Ryan.

Beaty was designated for assignment on Wednesday to make room on the 40-man roster for infielder Hanser Alberto, who signed a one-year, $1.85 million contract with a team option for 2023.

Ryan was drafted by the Padres in the 11th round in 2021 out of UNC Pembroke. He was a two-way player in college. Ryan played 12 games last year for the Arizona Complex League Padres in his professional debut, going 12 for 39 (.308/.349/.436) with a home run, two doubles, three walks, and 13 strikeouts.

The Dodgers originally listed Ryan as an infielder, but have plans to use him as a pitcher.

Beaty hit .270/.363/.402 with seven home runs and a 114 WRC+ in 120 games last season, and started three postseason games at first base.

He led the Dodgers with 59 pinch-hit plate appearances in 2021, and was tied for second on the team as a rookie with 32 pinch-hit plate appearances in 2019. But with the designated hitter back in the National League and pinch-hit opportunities more scarce, Beaty was the odd man out.

“If you look at the construction of our roster, the runway he potentially would get, it just wasn’t going to happen for him here with us,” manager Dave Roberts said of Beaty on Wednesday, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times.

Beaty’s salary for 2022 is $730,000 while in the majors, per Ronald Blum at the Associated Press. With two years, 114 days of major league service time, Beaty fell one day shy of qualifying for salary arbitration this offseason.

The Dodgers’ 12th-round draft pick out of Belmont in 2015, Beaty started games at first base, left field, right field, and third base in parts of three major league seasons. He hit .262/.333/.425, a 104 career wRC+ with 18 home runs in 240 games.