The 31-year-old hit .296 with 14 homers and 43 RBIs in 100 games for the Padres last season -- his first in the big leagues since 2005. He also hit .308 with five homers and 18 RBIs in 27 games for Triple-A Portland.
Originally a second-round pick of the Colorado Rockies in the 1998 amateur draft, Gerut has a .271 average with 48 homers and 183 RBIs in 420 games over parts of four major league seasons with the Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates and Padres.
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