He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, and Texas Rangers.

[1] He was called up to the majors for the first time after only 66 Triple-A games when Cliff Floyd was placed on the disabled list on June 19, 2009.

[2] During the offseason, the Padres traded away third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff in order to move Chase Headley to the infield to open a position for Blanks in left field.

[8][9] He played 78 games at Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A Tucson, hitting a combined .312 with 15 home runs and 62 RBI.

[12] However, he was lost for the season in April after surgery to repair a significant tear in the labrum of his non-throwing shoulder.

[14] He remained with the club after Quentin's return as an injury to Cameron Maybin opened up a spot in the outfield.

Blanks also picked up a number of starts at first base in June while Yonder Alonso was on the disabled list with a broken hand.

On May 15, 2014, the Padres traded Blanks to the Oakland Athletics for Jake Goebbert[17][18] and minor leaguer Ronald Herrera.

[21] Despite missing time in 2016 due to injury, the Giants re-signed Blanks to a minor league deal for the 2017 season.