Veteran infielder Robinson Cano was demoted to the minor leagues Thursday after just 12 games with the San Diego Padres and elected to depart the club in order to become a free agent.

The Padres optioned Cano to Triple-A El Paso, but the 39-year-old declined to accept the assignment per his right as a player with more than five years major league service time.

Cano was released by the New York Mets on May 8 and signed with the Padres five days later. But he went just 3-for-33 in San Diego, which has been waiting on the return of shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. following a motorcycle crash in the offseason.

Outfielder Nomar Mazara will replace Cano on the active roster after his contract was selected by the Padres.

Cano is a career .301 hitter over 17 seasons with a .351 on-base percentage, but he did not play in 2021 after he tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance. He has 335 home runs with 1,306 RBIs for the New York Yankees (2005-13), Seattle Mariners (2014-18), Mets (2019-22) and Padres.

Mazara, 27, is a career .255 hitter with 83 home runs and 342 RBIs over six major league seasons with the Texas Rangers (2016-19), Chicago White Sox (2020) and Detroit Tigers (2021). He played in 50 games with the Tigers last season, batting .212 with three home runs and 19 RBIs.

–Field Level Media