2026 El Paso Chihuahuas Roster Preview: Veterans Dominate Triple-A Roster

[Steve Drumwright]

Friday marks the start of the Triple-A season, which means those players who just missed landing on the San Diego Padres' Opening Day roster or have hopes of making their MLB debuts this season are beginning their campaigns with the El Paso Chihuahuas.

El Paso opens the year with a West Coast road trip, beginning with three games against the Sacramento River Cats, a San Francisco Giants affiliate. The Chihuahuas then go up to Washington to face the Tacoma Rainiers (Seattle Mariners) next week before returning for their home-opening series vs. the Albuquerque Isotopes (Colorado Rockies).

The roster for El Paso isn't stocked with prospects, as those are primarily at the lower levels of the Padres' system, but there are players who could end up playing key roles with San Diego this season. Several players already have MLB experience. Some of those veterans 

A few players are unaccounted for on this roster. Catcher Blake Hunt sustained an oblique injury during spring training and is likely on the injured list. Three other players—right-handed reliever and Ty Adcock, and outfielders Alex Verdugo and Tirso Ornelas—are not listed on the active roster. Adcock, who had an oblique injury, and Verdugo, who was a late camp signing, did see action in the final stages of the Cactus League. Ornelas stayed behind for more at-bats, extended spring training, and will eventually join the Chihuahuas, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

With that said, let's take a look at El Paso's 28-player Opening Day roster for manager Pete Zamora.

Projected starting rotation (5)

• JP Sears, LH
• Triston McKenzie, RH
• Marco Gonzales, LH
• Jackson Wolf, LH
• Evan Fitterer, RH

Sears, acquired at the trade deadline in the Mason Miller deal, lost out on a major-league job with the additions of Walker Buehler and German Marquez. With a full bullpen in San Diego, the Padres preferred to keep Sears in a starting role, thus beginning the season in El Paso. McKenzie and Gonzales are reclamation projects who began spring training with outside shots at the rotation. Both have dealt with injuries and are trying to get back to the majors after some tough times. Wolf was considered for a multi-inning role out of the Padres' bullpen that went to fellow left-hander Kyle Hart.

Projected bullpen (9)

• Daison Acosta, RH
• Miguel Cienfuegos, LH
• Logan Gillaspie, RH
• Garrett Hawkins, RH (No. 14 Padres Mission prospect)
• Alek Jacob, RH
• Ethan Routzahn, RH
• Misael Tamarez, RH
• Eli Villalobos, RH
• Justin Yeager, RH

Even with the unknown status of Castro and Adcock, there are plenty of candidates who could step into a major-league role at any time. That begins with Gillaspie, who made a push to be included on the Padres' roster, as well as Jacob, who had 29 appearances with the Padres in 2025. Hawkins is the lone prospect on the El Paso roster. He vaulted onto the scene last year after ditching a starting role following Tommy John surgery. He had 38 consecutive scoreless innings over 29 outings that included a promotion from High A Fort Wayne to Double-A San Antonio. He was the Padres' Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Yeager is on the verge of his MLB debut. Acosta was signed to a major-league contract early in the offseason despite not having made his MLB debut, but was taken off the 40-man roster this spring. 

Catcher (3)

• Rodolfo Duran
• Anthony Villar
• Colton Vincent

With Hunt out, Duran is likely the top catcher to begin the season. He had a nice Cactus League while in major-league camp, with a .250/.419/.667 slash line with three homers in 16 games. Either Duran or Hunt, once healthy, could be called upon if any issues crop up behind the plate.

Infield (7)

• Marcos Castanon, SS-3B-2B
• Clay Dungan, 2B-SS-3B
• Mason McCoy, SS-2B
• Jose Miranda, 3B
• Nate Mondou, 2B
• Nick Solak, 1B-OF
• Samad Taylor, IF-OF

Taylor, McCoy, and Miranda were all candidates for the Padres' Opening Day roster and will be part of the nucleus in El Paso. Dungan and Castanon also saw quite a bit of time in the Cactus League play. Solak has the most MLB experience of this group, with 259 games over six years, including five games with the Pittsburgh Pirates last year. He is a good bat, but has issues in the field.

Outfield (4)

• Jase Bowen, CF-LF
• Pablo Reyes, OF-2B-3B
• Carlos Rodriguez, OF
• Nick Schnell, CF-RF

Bowen provided some moments in the Cactus League with his athleticism. The former Michigan State recruit as a wide receiver tied for the team lead in home runs this spring with four, matching Gavin Sheets as well as Schnell, who also opened some eyes in camp. Bowen also stole a team-high seven bases. Reyes is a veteran journeyman.

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