Cade Lalim

It’s no secret that the San Diego Padres have been on an absolute heater in the second half of the season, and Luis Rengifo has contributed to that success in every way he’s been able to. The Friars have played to a 20-11 (.645) record thus far since the All-Star break ,and a 22-12 (.647) record since Rengifo debuted with the team back on July 10. Rengifo tested out the waters of free agency for the first time over the winter after spending his first seven major-league seasons with the Los Angeles Angels. It took a while, but the Milwaukee Brewers finally inked him to a contract on February 16 as spring training was just getting underway. He didn’t crack the Opening Day lineup for the Brewers, but he did split time with David Hamilton, who put up a great showing during the exhibition window. Rengifo's tenure in Milwaukee did not go as planned, as he only lasted 57 games before being designated for assignment on June 16. He was not good offensively across 209 plate appearances, posting a .205 batting average and .534 OPS along with nine doubles and 19 runs driven in. He saw a majority of his playing time at third base while also logging a few games at each second base and first base. His defense performance didn’t help him out at all as he posted a .958 fielding percentage at third base to go along with five errors. Luis Rengifo’s Incredible Season Turnaround with the Padres Due to Rengifo’s lackluster performance in Milwaukee, he was not claimed off of waivers by another club and the Brewers were unable to find a trade partner for him. As a result, he was released on June 23 but he found a new home just a week later on June 29 when he signed a minor-league contract with the Padres. Over 116 plate appearances, he’s raised his entire slash line hitting for a .313 average, getting on base at a 40.9% clip, and slugging for a .455 mark -- equivalent to a .863 OPS. Rengifo’s plate discipline has also been solid, walking at a 12.1% rate while only striking out 16.4% of the time. His power has clearly been more evident, as he’s already mashed four home runs with the Padres along with two doubles. Rengifo is doing this while enduring a major position change for the first time in his career. For a good chunk of his time with the Angels, Rengifo served as primarily a second baseman while also seeing frequent action at third base. He did see brief time in the outfield in Anaheim, but that was on an infrequent basis. Left field had been a position of need for the Padres after Ramon Laureano hit the 60-day injured list on June 5. Even when Laureano was healthy, he wasn’t making ends meet, posting just a .203/.286/.374 slash line to go along with seven home runs and 21 runs driven in. Gavin Sheets also saw some time in left field but he serves best as a designated hitter given his limitations in the outfield. When Rengifo showed up to San Diego, he immediately took to the position. While his defense in left hasn’t been amazing, it’s been serviceable thus far. Over 127 defensive innings in left field, he's submitted nearly league-average metrics, including -1 marks in Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average. That'll play, especially when he's working alongside sterling defenders in Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. So long as his offense doesn't disintegrate, the Friars will be thrilled to keep playing him on an everyday basis. View full article

The San Diego Padres sit right in the middle of the Wild Card mix and have been on a surge recently. It’s a good thing that they decided not to sell at the trade deadline, and their decision to hold onto Adrian Morejon looks especially prescient. The Padres might have the best one-two punch to end ballgames between the lethal duo of Morejon and phenomenal closer Mason Miller. The similarities between the pair are actually a lot closer than you may think. Everyone is fascinated with Miller, who’s recorded 30 saves and has pitched to a 0.88 ERA and 0.84 ERA through 51.1 innings. He’s been an electric watch with the combo of his fastball averaging 101.5 mph and the fact that he’s striking out opponents at an incredible 47.4% rate. While Miller leads all qualified relievers with 3.1 fWAR, Morejon sits just two places back with 2.3 fWAR (Louis Varland divides the pair with 2.4 fWAR). Morejon, alongside Miller, is having an incredible season and honestly might be every bit as good as hit superstar teammate. The 2025 All-Star has a 2.76 ERA and 1.09 WHIP over 65.1 innings spanning 56 games. What's Behind Adrian Morejon's Utter Dominance In 2026? If you’ve just happened to stumble across Morejon’s dominance this season, 2026 is actually the third straight season where he’s been one of the better relievers in the game. After making his major league debut during the 2019 season, Morejon posted inconsistent results through the 2023 season due to injuries (including Tommy John surgery in 2021) while also seeing time as both a reliever and starting pitcher. Now, he's settled in as one of the best high-leverage arms in the game. Morejon features a power-sinker that has averaged 99.5 mph and he goes to the pitch 45% of the time. His other three pitches are split pretty fairly consisting of a changeup, slider, and four-seam fastball. His sinker/four-seam duo has been really good this season, earning 10 run value which places him in the 88th percentile. Morejon’s fastball has seen better results than his sinker, even though he’s thrown the pitch over 300 times less. Opponents are hitting just .175 against the offering to go along with a .200 xwOBA. The sinker has also been effective with batters posting a .240 batting average and .293 xwOBA against the pitch. Aside from his primary heaters, Morejon throws a pretty nasty changeup that has accounted for 5 run value landing him in the 92nd percentile. It’s his second-most-used offering at a 22% rate and has limited batters to just a .177 batting average and a .147 xwOBA. Morejon’s slider is a nice change of pace to throw into the mix, but it's certainly his least trustworthy offering. A good reliever will always do a good job limiting hard-contact and keeping the baseball on the ground, and unsurprisingly, Morejon excels in those categories thanks to his aforementioned arsenal. Batters have only managed to make hard-contact 33.1% of the time with an average exit velocity of just 87 mph -- both marks rank above the 84th percentile. He also has really good command of the baseball, only issuing walks at an excellent 6.7% rate. Considering Morejon strikes out 29.9% of opponents -- largely the result of elite chase (37.8%) and whiff (34.3%) rates -- it's safe to say his pristine command is yet another blue-chip tool in his pocket. Having not one but two superstar relievers is a rarity in today's game, but the Padres certainly have their dynamic duo in Morejon and Miller. Come October, that tandem will be front and center in the team's efforts to finally win it all. View full article