Lots of movement in the minors
The San Diego Padres minor league teams made lots of adjustments this past week, with many players on the move and some noted promotions included. The two upper level teams had winning records while the two A-level teams had losing records and the rookie league team had a .500 record.
Padres starter Matt Waldron had another good outing with El Paso, going five innings with two runs and four strikeouts while getting up to 87 pitches. Reliever Bryan Hoeing is still struggling with command in his rehab stint and will be staying in El Paso until he has those issues ironed out.
Left fielder Jason Heyward began his rehab with El Paso on Friday with four at-bats, striking out twice with no hits and no walks.
Outfielder Josh Mears, a 2019 draft pick for the Padres, has incredible power but never was able to hit for average and retired from baseball this past week (.167 average this season). Outfielder Ripken Reyes was transferred from El Paso to San Antonio to replace him on the roster.
El Paso Chihuahuas (34-33 record, 3rd in PCL East Division)
29-year-old first baseman Trenton Brooks is a left-handed power hitter who has only had a brief (12 games) opportunity in the major leagues (Giants, 2024) since his professional career began in 2014. But he is currently putting together his best season while playing for the Chihuahuas and could be an option for the Padres if things continue the way they have been going. He has a .311 average and a 1.001 OPS with 14 homers and 54 RBI. Worst case being exchanging him with Luis Campusano to see what he can do.
Infielder Mason McCoy has played well since coming off the rehab list with a .303 average and .884 OPS. Outfielder Tirso Ornelas is steady with a .297 average and .798 OPS.
LHP Wes Benjamin had an underwhelming showing in the spring and it continued into the start of the season but he has improved significantly. In his start on June 8 he went six innings allowing just one run and over his last 21.2 IP, he has five earned runs in those four games. He spent the last three seasons pitching in Korea in the KBO.
Kyle Hart continues to have command issues and allowed four runs on six hits in 4.2 IP in this start on June 11. He threw 76 pitches with his fastball leaking into the zone and hit hard.
RHP Eduarniel Núñez was promoted from Double-A to El Paso as was RHP Carter Loewen and RHP Jose Espada.
San Antonio Missions (34-27 record, 3rd in Texas League, South Division)
First baseman Romeo Sanabria leads the team in average (.305), second in slugging (.437) and is third in OPS (.790). He continues to battle with catcher Brandon Valenzuela for best offensive performer for the Missions. Valenzuela has a .820 OPS to go with his team-leading eight homers and is second with 26 RBI. Utility infielder Marcos Castañon leads the team in RBI with 32.
Shortstop Francisco Acuña, a player acquired as a free agent this past offseason, has had a career surge with the Padres. A former Pirates draft pick who had injury issues and is still just 25 years old, Acuña has a .774 OPS with 23 RBI but has committed nine errors.
RHP Henry Baez continues to have a great season. He has a 2.47 ERA and 23% K rate with a .207 average against in 58.1 IP in his 12 starts. RHP Braden Nett has had his ups and downs but has excelled recently. He went six innings with five hits and three runs with eight strikeouts in his last start on June 11. Overall, he sits with a 3.99 ERA in 49.2 IP. LHP Jagger Haynes has a 3.83 ERA in 12 games started and 56.1 IP. He allowed no runs in five innings in his last start.
Rehabbing starter Luis Patiño went 3.2 innings with three hits and a run with three strikeouts in his latest start (June 12).
Tyson Neighbors had his first appearance after being promoted from Fort Wayne, pitching one inning with a hit and a run allowed with a strikeout. He will need to work hard to get that 9.00 ERA down to what he is used to (<2.0).
Fort Wayne TinCaps (29-31 record, 5th in Midwest League, East Division)
Two-way player Sean Barnett made his second appearance as a pitcher on June 8, walking two and striking out one. He will slowly build up his workload. He is hitting .258 with a .772 OPS with 11 RBI in 62 AB as a DH
. Catcher Victor Duarte was promoted from Lake Elsinore and has two hits in seven at-bats so far.
Shortstop Leo De Vries is holding on to a .253 average and .772 OPS while hitting his first home run in a while.
Third baseman Rosman Verdugo, while only hitting .229, has a .826 OPS with 9 HR and 30 RBI and fits the power-hitting profile with 82 K’s in 188 AB. He has the second most walks on the team with 33. Centerfielder Kai Roberts, who started the season on a rehab assignment with the ACL team, is leading the team with 11 stolen bases.
LHP Luis Gutierrez was promoted from Lake Elsinore to the TinCaps and last pitched June 8 for the Storm. RHP Eric Yost has 10 starts and 51 IP with a 2.29 ERA and 53 K/26 BB. RHP Miguel Mendez has started 6 games for the TinCaps and has a 2.42 ERA with 35 K/11 BB.
Reliever Harry Gustin has thrown 37.1 innings with a 1.93 ERA and has 43 K/15 BB. Reliever Garrett Hawkins, working back from Tommy John surgery, has a 2.39 ERA in 26.1 IP with 35 K/12 BB.
Lake Elsinore Storm (29-32 record, 3rd in California League, South Division)
The usual players are still heading up the Storm’s offense. Third baseman Zach Evans (.768 OPS, 41 RBI) and shortstop Ryan Jackson (.882 OPS, 31 RBI) are tied with a .304 average. First baseman Victor Figueroa has a .275 average and a .919 OPS in the 69 AB he has had since his promotion from the ACL team. He has now played two games in right field besides first base. The team has three legitimate first basemen on the roster.
Speedster and centerfielder Kasen Wells has 23 stolen bases but has missed several games with a foot injury.
LHP Boston Bateman threw 5.2 innings allowing two runs with four strikeouts in his latest outing and has a 3.72 ERA in 46 IP in 10 games started. LHP Kash Mayfield has worked back from being out with a sore shoulder and threw three innings with six strikeouts in 39 pitches in his latest start. His overall ERA is 3.91 in 25.1 IP.
Reliever Adam Conrad has a 0.64 ERA in 28.1 IP with 30 K/17 BB. He has allowed 15 hits and 6 runs total. Reliever Kannon Kemp was promoted from the ACL Padres to the Storm and threw five innings in his first game with four hits and three runs.
ACL Padres (9-22 record, last in ACL, West Division)
The ACL Padres won three games this past week, the best they have done since Victor Figueroa was promoted. Outfielder/Infielder Albert Fabian is 25 and is a journeyman in the Padres system, always in High-A or below (since 2021). He has a .833 OPS and .353 average to lead the team. Second baseman Luis De Leon has a .306 average and .770 OPS. Shortstop Yimy Tovar is hitting .304 with a .749 OPS. He also has the most RBI with 19.
RHP Humberto Cruz has thrown 11.2 innings in his rehab so far and has a 6.94 ERA while struggling in his most recent outings.
DSL Padres Brown and Gold
The Brown team has a 4-4 record with second baseman Darius Castillo hitting .364 with a .849 OPS in 22 AB. Infielder Jose Verdugo has a .455 average and a 1.010 OPS in 11 AB.
RHP Delvi Nunez has a 2.00 ERA in 9 IP, as does RHP Kelvin Marte. Both are 19 years old.
Padres Gold has a 5-4 record with infielder/outfielder Moises Valdez hitting .359 with a .880 OPS. Infielder/DH Kevin Tambourin has a .346 average and a .895 OPS while leading the team in RBI with 5.
RHP Raymel Belliard has started two games with 7.2 IP and has a 2.35 ERA. Two relievers, Jose Ortega and Edwyn Hernandez, have thrown 8.2 innings without allowing an earned run.
On June 9,
Sports Illustrated reported that reliever Bradgley Rodriquez has a bicep injury on his throwing arm which forced him out of last Sunday’s game (June 8,) which was his second appearance for El Paso after being optioned by the Padres.
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