Padres Tap 3 Retired Players For Farm System Roles
The San Diego Padres announced the return of Craig Stammen, A.J. Ellis, and Allen Craig to the organization on Tuesday.
Stammen will work in a hybrid coaching post that will split his time between the minors and the majors as a special assistant to the major league staff and baseball operations.
Ellis and Craig will serve in the same capacity as the Padres announced their player development assignments for the 2024 season.
The trio has more than 23 combined years of big-league experience.
Stammen threw 394.2 innings for the Padres from 2017 through 2022. He retired in August 2023 and moved on to a coaching role with the Fort Wayne Tin Caps.
Ellis spent most of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers as Clayton Kershaw’s personal catcher. He played his last season in 2018 with the Padres and has been with the organization ever since as a special assistant in baseball operations.
Craig played parts of six seasons in the majors and was an All-Star in 2013 with the St. Louis Cardinals. He spent part of 2018 in Triple-A El Paso and then joined the organization’s front office/player development department, working as a senior adviser in baseball operations and performance.