Padres signed OF Will Venable to a two-year, $8.5 million contract extension.

The extension, which buys out Venable's final two years of arbitration, will pay him $4.25 million in both 2014 and 2015. The 30-year-old has elevated his play amidst a series of San Diego outfield injuries, slashing a career-best .273/.315/.503. Venable is hitting .351/.390/.630 with nine home runs since the All-Star break.

Will Venable went 3-for-4 with a homer and a double against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

That's 20 homers for Venable, whose previous career high was 13. He's on an awesome roll of late, with four three-hit games in his last six contests and eight homers in August. He's batting .400 and slugging .760 in 100 at-bats this month.

Will Venable went 3-for-4 and only missed the cycle by a double in Friday's 8-6 win against the Cubs.

Venable's two-run triple in the fifth cut Chicago's lead to 6-5, and his solo seventh-inning home run gave San Diego the advantage for good, 7-6. The outfielder has been on fire this month, batting .364 with five doubles, three triples, six homers and 11 RBI in 77 August at-bats. Venable saw a 15-game hitting streak snap on Monday against the Pirates, but he's hit safely in all three games since. His appetizing combo of power and speed is playable in mixed leagues whenever he catches fire.

Will Venable went 4-for-5 with a steal and three runs scored Saturday versus the Mets.

Venable is batting .382 with four homers and four steals during his current 14-game hitting streak. It probably won't last for much longer, but he can be useful in mixed leagues while he's leading off and stealing bases.

Will Venable went 3-for-3 with a walk, two doubles, an RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's win against the Reds.

A promising night for a batter still sitting on a terrible .290 on-base percentage. Venable is batting only .245, but he's been a cheap source of speed and power in NL-only leagues. He's on pace for 18 homers and 14 steals in 423 at-bats.

Will Venable went 3-for-5 with a home run in a win over the Brewers on Tuesday.

Venable hit a solo shot off starter Donovan Hand and also added a single on the night, scoring twice. The outfielder now has a .232/.276/.430 line with 12 homers and nine steals in 93 games.

Will Venable (hamstring) is expected back in the lineup on Thursday.

Venable probably could have started Wednesday if he needed to, but with the Red Sox throwing left Jon Lester, it made sense to give him one more day. "Will's doing much better, he's much improved," said Padres manager Bud Black Wednesday. "You might see him tonight in some capacity."

Will Venable is out of the Padres' starting lineup on Tuesday night because of a sore left hamstring.

The outfielder is considered day-to-day. Venable, 30, has batted .221/.265/.424 in 80 games this season.

Will Venable went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, three RBI and two runs scored in San Diego's 6-5 win against Atlanta on Monday night.

San Diego's crowded outfield coupled with Venable's difficulty in reaching base have cost the 30-year-old Princeton product at-bats, but he still offers the elusive speed/power combination that salivates fantasy proprietors. Venable is batting just .232 (with a .288 OBP), but has eight homers and nine steals in 164 at-bats. That's a nice player to have in NL-only formats.

Will Venable singled in Chris Denorfia in the bottom of the 10th to give the Padres a 3-2 win over the Mariners on Wednesday.

Venable didn't start against the lefty in Joe Saunders, but he stayed in after pinch-running for Yasmani Grandal and picked up the hit in this first at-bat. He had been in a 2-for-17 slump over the previous eight days.

Will Venable smashed his fifth home run of the season in Friday's loss to the Rays.

The first inning blast off Alex Cobb was his only hit in four trips on the evening. He also swiped a pair of bases and scored a run on a balk, after reaching on a strikeout in the third inning. He's always possessed a dazzling combination of power and speed, which has been on display in the early part of the season, as he's hitting .244/.316/.465 with five bombs and seven stolen bases.

Will Venable went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBI versus the Marlins on Tuesday.

Venable has had a quiet season so far, but with homers in back-to-back starts, maybe he's getting it turned around. It hasn't helped matters that the Padres have faced a ton of lefties lately, which has resulted in him coming off the bench more often than not.

Will Venable went 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI in Tuesday's win over the Dodgers.

He also drew two walks and stole a base, filling up the box score nicely. Venable came into the game with just two base knocks in his first 15 at-bats, so it was a nice breakout showing. Nick Hundley also went deep for the Pads.

Will Venable connected for his third home run of the spring in Thursday's 6-4 win over the Indians.

He walked in his only other plate appearance. Venable's fantasy appeal is a bit complicated since he's set to platoon with Chris Denorfia in right field again, but he should still get the majority of the at-bats. Coming off nine home runs and 24 stolen bases last season, there could be more upside on the way this year now that the fences have moved in at PETCO Park.

Will Venable homered and drove in three runs in an 8-7 win over the Dodgers on Friday.

Venable, who missed some time this week with some soreness in his side, connected for a two-run homer in the bottom of the third and added a sacrifice fly one inning later. The 30-year-old is set to platoon with Chris Denorfia in right field again this season, but he should be useful in deeper mixed leagues which allow daily lineup changes. The dimension changes at PETCO Park could give his numbers a boost in 2013.

Will Venable (side) could return to game action soon.

Venable has been out the last couple days with soreness on his left side, but it doesn't seem to be a big deal. He's batting .214/.267/.429 with one homer this spring.

Padres avoided arbitration with OF Will Venable by agreeing to a one-year, $2.675 million contract.

Venable made $1.475 million last season in the first of four arbitration years as a Super 2 player. The 30-year-old is coming off a year where he batted .264/.335/.429 with nine homers and 24 steals. He'll be the Padres' right fielder in 2013.

Will Venable went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base in Wednesday's win over the Braves.

The Padres pounded out eight runs and 13 hits against the Braves in the 8-2 rout. Venable is now sporting a .261 batting mark with eight homers and 19 stolen bases this season.

Will Venable delivered a pair of RBI singles in the Padres' victory Monday.

Venable has been losing playing time after failing to duplicate his strong May, but he's still the Padres' best option in right field against right-handers. He's hit .270;.342/.494 with six homers in 174 at-bats away from Petco this year.

Will Venable went 2-for-4 with a homer and two runs scored in a losing effort against the Astros on Tuesday.

Venable's home run off Jordan Lyles was his sixth of the season and put the Padres on the board in the third inning. The San Diego outfielder is enjoying a fairly productive season, batting .264 with six homers, 20 RBI and eight stolen bases.