A recent uptick in production was not enough to keep the Padres from trying to upgrade at the catcher position.

The team on Thursday acquired Freddy Fermin from the Royals in exchange for starting pitchers Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek.

Fermin is batting .255 with a .645 OPS in 208 plate appearances. The 30-year-old right-handed batter has started 51 games at catcher this season.

It is not known what that means for Elias Díaz or Martín Maldonado, who have split the catching duties this season.

Maldonado is 8-for-20 with three doubles over his past six starts, raising his average 29 points to .204 and his OPS 60 points to .572.

Díaz has had big RBIs in two of the Padres’ three victories over the Mets this week and is 6-for-21 with a double and a home run over his past seven starts. That raised his average from .193 to 202 and his OPS 20 points to .576.

The pair still has the fifth-lowest average and fourth-lowest OPS among all major league catching groups.

Díaz and Maldonado have been prized by manager Mike Shildt and the pitching coaches for their work with the pitching staff. Despite being without two of its top starting pitchers for the bulk of the season, the rotation ranks 13th in MLB with a 3.97 ERA.

But there is a strong belief in the organization that the team needs more offense from the position.