Steve Drumwright

After entering spring training as a serious option to make the back end of the San Diego Padres' starting rotation, left-hander Marco Gonzales has been released while with the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas. The 34-year-old Gonzales missed the entire 2025 season after having flexor tendon surgery in September 2024. In the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, Gonzales had 12 starts and one relief appearance, posting a 7.99 ERA over 47⅓ innings, with 18 walks and 36 strikeouts. His last outing came Saturday and was one of his best of the season. He gave up three runs, but only one earned, in four innings on a season-low three hits with one walk and two strikeouts. He also had four starts where he gave up six or more runs. View full rumor

San Diego Padres affiliates went 2-1 with a rainout as the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas rolled Reno 6-1, the Double-A San Antonio Missions were washed out, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps fell 4-3 and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm edged San Jose 2-1 to claim the first-half championship. Padres Minor-League Transactions RHP Bernard Jose assigned to San Antonio Missions from ACL Padres. San Antonio Missions sent SS Wyatt Hoffman on a rehab assignment to Fort Wayne TinCaps. Fort Wayne TinCaps placed SS Jonathan Vastine on the 7-day injured list. SS Dawson Willis assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from ACL Padres. Carlos Rodriguez Runs Hit Streak to 21 in Chihuahuas' Victory Carlos Rodriguez extended his hitting streak to a career-high 21 games as he was one of four players to drive in a run in a five-run third inning that sent the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas to a 6-1 victory over the Reno Aces. Rodriguez also has a 25-game on-base streak. Chihuahuas right-handed starter Jhony Brito went five innings, the third time in four starts he has gone at least that long, allowing just three hits and a run with a walk and four strikeouts. Right-hander Evan Fitterer took things from there, pitching four scoreless innings with three hits, three walks and three strikeouts. The big third inning by the Chihuahuas started with a pair of strikeouts. Dylan Grego, who went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored, began the outburst with a double and scored on Rodriguez's only hit of the game, a line single to center, to tie it 1-1. Rodriguez stole second and went to third on a wild pitch before Mason McCoy walked. Nick Pratto, in his first full week with the Chihuahuas, singled home Rodriguez with McCoy going to third, then scoring on a wild pitch that saw Pratto go from second to third. Pratto then scored on a wild pitch. Marcos Castanon walked and Nick Schnell drove in Pratto with a single for a 4-1 lead. Clay Dungan walked to load the bases and Nate Moundou also got a free pass to make it a five-run inning. McCoy made it 6-1 in the fourth inning when he singled home Grego, who was promoted for Low-A Lake Elsinore last week. EP_0616.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Carlos Rodríguez 3 1 1 1 0 0 Mason McCoy 3 1 1 1 1 2 Nick Pratto 3 1 1 1 1 2 Marcos Castañon 3 1 0 0 1 1 Nick Schnell 4 0 1 1 0 3 Clay Dungan 3 0 1 0 1 2 Nate Mondou 3 0 0 1 1 1 Victor Duarte 4 0 0 0 0 3 Dylan Grego 4 2 3 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jhony Brito 5 3 1 1 1 4 0 Evan Fitterer 4 3 0 0 3 3 0 Missions' Series Opener Against Hooks Rained Out Game 1 of the Double-A San Antonio Missions' six-game series against the Corpus Christi Hooks was postponed due to rain. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader Wednesday, with both games being seven innings. TinCaps Claim Early Lead, But South Bend Battles Back To Win The host High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps scored three early runs, but watched as the South Bend Cubs chipped away, including scoring the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning, en route to dropping a 4-3 decision to the Cubs. The TinCaps have lost three straight and 11 of their last 12. Alex McCoy, Padres Mission's No. 12 prospect, smacked his 11th homer of the season and Jack Costello drove in a pair for the TinCaps, who managed just four hits. McCoy hadn't homered in his last 13 games. After scoring three runs in the second inning, none of the final 25 TinCaps batters could get a hit. TinCaps right-handed starter Matthew Watson went a career-high 5⅔ innings, giving up three runs on eight hits with no walks and four punchouts. Left-hander Igor Gil was perfect for 1⅓ innings, left-hander Braian Salazar gave up a run on two hits in one inning and right-hander Clay Edmondson struck out three of the four batters he faced. Player AB R H RBI BB K Justin DeCriscio 3 0 0 0 0 1 Carlos Rodriguez 4 0 0 0 0 1 Lamar King Jr. 4 0 1 0 0 2 Alex McCoy 4 1 1 1 0 1 Jake Cunningham 3 1 1 0 1 2 Rosman Verdugo 3 1 0 0 1 1 Kavares Tears 3 0 0 0 0 1 Jack Costello 2 0 1 2 0 0 Zach Evans 2 0 0 0 1 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Matthew Watson 5 2/3 8 3 3 0 4 1 Igor Gil 1 1/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 Braian Salazar 1 2 1 1 0 1 0 Clay Edmondson 1 0 0 0 1 3 0 Storm Capture Division Title Behind Winyer Chourio The Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm clinched the California League's South Division first-half championship on the strength of a two-run first inning and six strong innings from right-hander Winyer Chourio for a 2-1 victory over the host San Jose Giants. The division title is the first since the Storm (37-27) won both halves in 2024 before falling in the Cal League Championship Series. There are two games left in the first half. Kerrington Cross homered, had two hits and two stolen bases, while Jose Verdugo also had a pair of hits with a steal and also scored. Cross hit his 10th homer of the season with one out in the top of the first, then Verdugo single, stole his 17th base and went to third on a throwing error by the catcher on the play. After Luke Cantwell walked, Yoiber Ocopio struck out and Cantwell broke for second. He got into a rundown as Verdugo streaked home before Cantwell was tagged out, giving the Storm a 2-0 lead. Chourio pitched the clincher like the staff ace he has been all season. Pitching six innings for the second game in a row, matching his career high set in 2024, Chourio struck out five while allowing one run on four hits and two walks. Two of the hits Chourio gave up came in the fifth inning as the Giants scored their only run. Right-hander Daison Acosta, on a rehab assignment from Triple-A El Paso, made his Storm debut with a perfect seventh inning that included two punchouts, while right-hander Brandon Langley allowed a walk but faced the minimum over the final two innings for his second save and setting off a celebration. LE_0616.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Wideman 3 0 0 0 1 2 Kerrington Cross 3 1 2 1 2 1 Jose Verdugo 5 1 2 0 0 1 Luke Cantwell 2 0 0 0 2 1 Yoiber Ocopio 3 0 0 0 0 1 Truitt Madonna 3 0 0 0 1 2 Jorge Quintana 3 0 1 0 1 0 George Bilecki 2 0 0 0 2 1 Conner Westenburg 4 0 1 0 0 3 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Winyer Chourio 6 4 1 1 2 5 0 Daison Acosta 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Brandon Langley 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 Padres Mission Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: DNP Kash Mayfield: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ryan Wideman: 0-for-3, 2 K Jorge Quintana: 1-for-3 Ty Harvey: On injured list Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Braedon Karpathios: DNP Lamar King Jr.: 1-for-4, 2 K Jagger Haynes: DNP Alex McCoy: 1-for-4, HR, K Truitt Madonna: 0-for-3, 2 K Tucker Musgrove: DNP Garrett Hawkins: DNP Michael Salina: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Rosman Verdugo: 0-for-3, K Bryan Balzer: DNP Deivid Coronil: DNP FW_0616.mp4 View full article

Let's check in on the San Diego Padres prospects who made a mark in the last week (check out Padres Mission's latest Top 20 rankings as well!): Ryan Wideman, CF, Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm Season stats: .327/.394/.527, 60 games, 48 R, 19 2B, 6 3B, 6 HR, 44 RBI, 20 BB, 51 K, 42 SB, 12 CS The toolsy center fielder, Padres Mission's No. 5 prospect, is coming off his biggest moment of the season, crushing a walk-off homer off the scoreboard in right-center field on the first pitch of the ninth inning to give the Storm an 8-7 triumph over the Ontario Tower Buzzers, a Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate. The homer, part of a four-hit game, was his sixth of the season and put the Storm on the verge of the first-half championship in the California League's South Division. Last year's third-round draft choice played in five of six games last week and went 10-for-22 with five walks, seven runs scored and five RBIs for a .455/.538/.636 slash line. He swiped five more stolen bases to boost his season total to 42, which leads all of the minors (majors, too), in 60 games. He has been caught 12 times. The power-speed combo was evident as he made his pro debut last year in 26 games with the Storm, but he had a .229/.330/.271 slash line. The biggest improvement for Wideman has been the reduction in strikeouts. He went down 28.6% of the time in his brief introduction to pro ball and has reduced that to an 18.5% punch-out rate this year. Wideman's walk rate, however, is also down a bit, from 10.7% to 7.3%. RW_0615.mp4 Carlos Rodriguez, OF, Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas Season stats: .297/.363/.373, 53 games, 28 runs, 9 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 34 RBI, 24 BB, 26 K, 6 SB, 0 CS While still just 25, the outfielder doesn't feel like a prospect anymore due to the fact the Padres are the third organization he has been with since making his pro debut in 2018. He stayed with the Milwaukee Brewers chain through 2024, then played last season in the Atlanta system. He has played in 159 games at Triple-A in the last two seasons, though his current heater could change the equation. The 5-foot-9 left-handed hitter had two hits Sunday, extending his hitting streak to a career-high 20 games and his on-base streak to 24 games. It is the longest active streak in the Pacific Coast League. Last week alone, Rodriguez went 10-for-26, all but one a single (the other was a double) with one RBI. He walked three times, but impressively struck out just once. He needed a ninth-inning infield single to third base Saturday to keep the streak alive. The last time he didn't get a hit was when he took an 0-for-3 line on May 20 vs. Round Rock. He had a hit in the three games before that, too. His strikeout rate is at 11% this year, the second-best mark of his career after a 10.4% mark in 2024. Jesus Castro, RHP, Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm Season stats: 0-1, 2.72 ERA, 10 games (all starts), 43 IP, 42 H, 14 R, 13 ER, 16 BB, 53 K, .258 opponent average Okay, so the right-handed starter was on our Hot Sheet last week. I try not to repeat from one week to the next, but Castro put up an even better performance than his previous outing. The recently turned 19-year-old struck out a career-high 12 in 4⅔ shutout innings in a 6-1 win Wednesday over Ontario. He gave up three hits and two walks, the same totals as the week before. Castro has not allowed a run in four of his last five starts and is one reason why the Storm have the best ERA in the Cal League at 4.78 (yeah, I know that's high, but it is the Cal League). The Storm have a nice rotation led by right-hander Winyer Chourio, who is second in the league with 69 strikeouts. Castro's 12 punchouts last week gave him 44 in his last 29 innings. He has 53 for the season in 43 innings. His strikeout rate is just a tick above last season, when he made his pro debut (28.6% from 27.1%), while his walk rate has increased a bit from 5.9% in 2025 to 8.6% this year. Tyler Schmitt, RHP, Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm Season stats: 4-3, 4.38 ERA, 11 games (10 starts), 49⅓ IP, 44 H, 24 R, 24 ER, 27 BB, 57 K, .243 opponent average This list could have very well included three Storm starting pitchers, but last year's 17th-round draft choice was the choice over Chourio (who struck out nine in his own right) because Schmitt punched out a season-high 11 two starts after fanning nine. The 21-year-old allowed four hits and just one walk over a season-best six innings, the third time he has gone that distance in his debut season. Schmitt now has four starts (out of 10) in which he hasn't allowed a run. His two big strikeout games in his last three starts have increased his strikeout rate to 26.9%. Schmitt still has issues with walks as he has at least one in all 11 appearances this season, but he has just 13 in his last seven starts, including two three-walk outings. He also does a pretty good job of limiting contact. Outside of his three blowup starts, he has allowed three or less hits in six of his other eight outings and gave up four hits in those remaining two. That work has helped plunge an ERA that was at 9.75 at the end of April to 4.38 now. Luke Cantwell, 1B, Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm Season stats: .349/.504/.509, 35 games, 25 R, 12 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 27 RBI, 24 BB, 24 K, 6 SB, 2 CS Yes, another Storm player. A 20th-round draft choice last year out of Pitt, the first baseman began his pro career at High-A Fort Wayne, appearing in five games and going 5-for-20 with a homer. Instead of going back to the TinCaps, the Padres sent Cantwell down to Lake Elsinore, where he has been on fire when he has been in the lineup. Cantwell was on the injured list for about three weeks, returning a couple Sundays ago. LC_0615.mp4 In his first full week back, he picked up from where he left off by going 9-for-21 with four doubles and his first triple of the season along with eight RBIs. He also walked eight times, including in five straight games, giving him a slash line of .429/.600/.714 for the week. That time off cost Cantwell his spot on the Cal League leaderboard, where his team-leading .349 average would rank second. Wideman's .327 is fifth. Cantwell had a pair of two-hit games and another where he had a double and three walks. His triple was well-timed. as he did it leading off the ninth inning Tuesday as the Storm trailed by two. He scored, but the Storm fell 5-4. Still, he has an RBI in six of the seven games since he returned to the lineup. View full article

MLB on Monday suspended San Diego Padres right-handed reliever Ron Marinaccio three games and fined an undisclosed amount for hitting Baltimore Orioles star shortstop Gunnar Henderson with a pitch in Saturday's game. Marinaccio is appealing his suspension, so will remain on the active roster until that is heard. Padres manager Craig Stammen was also suspended one game. Managers can't appeal, so Stammen will sit out Monday's series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals. Bench coach Randy Knorr will run the team instead. The incident came with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. In the top of the fifth, Padres star shortstop Xander Bogaerts was hit in the left earflap of his helmet by a pitch from Orioles right-handed starter Trey Gibson. Bogaerts had to leave the game an inning later after feeling woozy. No penalty was issued to Gibson. View full rumor

Baseball's best closer will be away from the San Diego Padres for a few days. Right-hander Mason Miller was placed on the bereavement-family medical leave list Monday by the Friars, who called up left-hander Kyle Hart from Triple-A El Paso. Also, outfielder Bryce Johnson, who was designated for assignment Friday, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A. The Padres open a three-game road series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday. Miller is second in MLB with 19 saves in 19 chances with a 0.37 FIP (0.90 ERA) after earning a four-out save in Sunday's 5-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Miller, who fanned three Sunday, has 59 strikeouts in 30 innings, has an incredible 51.8% strikeout rate. Hart is with the Padres for a second time this season after making the Opening Day roster. In 12 MLB appearances and 16⅔ innings this year, Hart has a 3.35 FIP (5.40 ERA) with an 8.8% walk rate and 14.7% strikeout rate. At Triple-A, Hart has pitched 14⅔ innings over 11 games for a 7.36 ERA, with nine walks and 15 strikeouts. View full rumor

San Diego Padres Weekly Snapshot Record last week: 4-2 Runs scored last week: 31 Runs allowed last week: 23 (season run differential: minus-10) Scores Game 65 (Monday): Padres 6, Reds 2 Game 66 (Tuesday): Reds 5, Padres 3 (11 innings) Game 67 (Wednesday): Padres 5, Reds 4 Thursday: Off Game 68 (Friday): Orioles 7, Padres 3 Game 69 (Saturday): Padres 9, Orioles 3 Game 70 (Sunday): Padres 5, Orioles 2 Week in Review and Highlights Reds series Game 1: Maybe Freddy Fermin should be hitting cleanup. OK, that is a joke, but Fermin appears to fully be out of his hitting slump. The catcher homered for the third straight game and the Padres used some small-ball tactics to help produce runs in a 6-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Fermin had been in an 0-for-30 funk when he went deep Saturday, then followed that with another long ball Sunday and made it three in a row when he started the scoring with a solo shot Monday. He now has back-to-back games with multiple hits and is 5-for-9 over the last three games. But it was also the guys brought up from Triple-A last week to provide energy and speed that were in the middle of the offense on this night. The Reds led 2-1 entering the bottom of the seventh, then tied the game on back-to-back doubles by Xander Bogaerts and Gavin Sheets. Then came the bunts. Jase Bowen put down what should have been a sacrifice bunt but turned out to be a single, then Samad Taylor, who like Bowen was at Triple-A El Paso until last week, put down a sac bunt that plated Sheets when it wasn't handled cleanly by the first baseman for a 3-2 lead. Fermin followed with a bunt in front of the plate that the pitcher couldn't pick up in time to make a play, loading the bases. But the threat ended there as Fernando Tatis Jr. flew out to shallow right field and Jackson Merrill hit a grounder to third for a force out. In the eighth, Bogaerts had a one-out single and Bowen a two-out single to put runners on the corners, then stole second. Taylor then broke it open with a soft two-run single to left to bring both runners home. After Taylor stole second, Fermin singled him home for a 6-2 cushion. Padres right-handed starter Walker Buehler wasn't great, but he battled to minimize the damage. Buehler was reached for eight hits and two walks in 4⅔ innings, however only allowed one run. After right-hander Bradgley Rodriguez gave up a run on a hit and a walk in two-thirds of an inning, left-hander Adrian Morejon (1⅔ innings), right-hander Jason Adam (one inning) and closer Mason Miller (one inning) didn't allow a hit, with Adam and Miller punching out three. Game 2: Getting six hits from Machado and Tatis and having their most in just more than a month, the Padres had 20 at-bats with runners in scoring position. And still couldn't break out. While it could be a sign that things are about to change, on this day, it proved to be another frustrating day by the offense. The Friars dropped a 5-3 decision in 11 innings to the Reds as they were able to get a hit just three times in those 20 opportunities. It really stood out from the eighth inning on. Machado's leadoff double in the eighth went for naught as Gavin Sheets, grounded out with Machado moving to third, pinch-hitter Ty France was walked, then, after a pitching change, Taylor struck out and Bowen hit a broken-bat fly to shallow right field that was snagged on a sliding catch. In the ninth, Sung-Mun Song and Tatis had one-out singles. Merrill, after a pitching change, reached on an infield single to load the bases before Machado and Sheets struck out. After the Reds scored once in the top of the 10th, Taylor tied the game on a one-out single. He stole second, Bowen struck out and Fermin, who homered in the previous three games, flew out to the warning track in left, just missing a walk-off. The Reds got a Sal Stewart homer in the 11th, while Song, Tatis and Merrill went down in order. For the second game in a row, the Padres' starting pitcher had to battle himself through a short outing. This time, it was right-hander Lucas Giolito, who only allowed two hits but walked five and gave up two runs (one earned) and had three strikeouts. He threw 85 pitches, only 43 of which were strikes. That was the second-most pitches he has thrown in his five starts this season and the third straight start where he didn't get an out in the fifth inning. The bullpen of right-hander David Morgan, Morejon, Adam and Miller was very good, punching out 10 and giving up three hits in five innings (Adam did walk two). Right-hander Bradgley Rodriguez handled the 10th and left-hander Yuki Matsui the 11th. Game 3: This was the moment that had been missing. For all the good things that happened in the first month of the season when things were going right, the entire first two-plus months were missing a Tatis moment. In a 4-4 game and one out from heading to extra innings, Tatis hit a walk-off homer—just his second long ball of the season—gave the Padres a 5-4 victory over the Reds. It was a line-drive shot to left, but the meaning of it was bigger than anything a Wednesday afternoon game in June could have. Tatis could really exhale. His teammates could, too, after the team's best player, carrying the burden of not being the home run hitter he has been, came through when the Friars needed him most, giving them their first series victory in five tries. But it also came after his teammates put him in that position. The Padres were down 4-2 in the bottom of the eighth after the Reds scored once in the seventh and another in the eighth. Merrill doubled, Sheets drove him in with a one-out double before Bowen came on to run for him. One out later, Taylor came through again, singling to center and sending Bowen streaking for home without a throw for the tying run. Tatis came up in the ninth with two outs. Two 97 mph four-seamers missed inside to begin the at-bat. The third pitch was a slider at the top outside corner of the zone to bring the count to 2-1. The right-hander Chase Petty put an 89.8 mph slider where you shouldn't to any hitter: right in the middle of the zone. Nando drilled it into the first row of the bleachers and set off a celebration that quickly saw him shirtless as his teammates mobbed him. Again, the starting pitching wasn't great, but didn't suck, either. Right-hander Michael King went 6⅔ innings, but he allowed three runs on a pair of homers. He gave up seven hits altogether with three walks and three strikeouts. That was just enough for the overworked bullpen, which got 1⅓ innings from right-hander Ron Marinaccio and one inning from Wandy Peralta, who picked up the win. A day off to soak in the vibes of the walk-off win before a nine-game road trip seems well-timed. Orioles series Game 1: After a day off to swim in all the positivity created by Tatis' walk-off, the Padres opened a nine-game road trip with a chance to make some headway. But the roadie got off to a rocky start as right-hander Griffin Canning struggled early in a 7-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. Canning surrendered three runs in each of the first two innings and allowed his second homer of the game in the fourth. He gets credit for battling through and completing five innings, but the quality of his start was poor and didn't give the Padres a chance. It was a career-worst seven runs on six hits and five walks with six punchouts. The walks were the biggest contributor to Canning's catastrophe. He has walked two or more in seven of his eight starts and has 22 in 37⅔ innings (13.5% walk rate) Again, there were some small signs of the offense starting to wake up. Machado had a pair of doubles in his return to Baltimore, where he began his career, while Sheets, who got a rare right field start, drove in a pair, including an RBI double in the first inning. Tatis singled, had a stolen base, scored a run and drove in another. But the team was 4-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Game 2: Perhaps it was due to the East Coast heat and humidity, but the Padres sure needed an offensive outburst like they had Saturday. On the strength of a season-high five home, including first-inning blasts from Merrill and Taylor, the Padres rolled to a 9-3 triumph. Taylor's shot, part of a three-hit day, was the first of his MLB career. Sheets, Rodolfo Duran and Machado also went deep. Merrill and Sheets are from the Baltimore area with Sheets' dad, Larry, having played for the Orioles. But the win could come at a bit of a price. Bogaerts left the game in the bottom of the sixth after being hit on the left earflap by a fastball in the top of the fifth. Fermin sustained a freak injury when he turned his head as left-hander Yuki Matsui spiked a warmup pitch in the sixth. Manager Craig Stammen seemed more concerned with Fermin's status, but both are in the concussion territory so nothing is a given with that type of injury as we have seen with Jake Cronenworth. While that was the bad news, the rest of the day was filled with positives. Merrill and Taylor each followed walks with long balls as the Padres had their highest-scoring first inning of the season with four runs. In the fifth, leading 4-2, they loaded the bases on a pair of walks and Bogaerts' hit by pitch set the stage for Taylor to come through again with a run-scoring single to boost the lead to 5-2. Pinch-hitter Nick Solak, called up before the game as Miguel Andujar went on the 10-day injured list with a strained left hamstring, lofted a sacrifice fly to a 6-2 advantage. Sheets homered in the seventh, his 11th, to make it 7-2, Duran hit his second career homer in the eighth and Machado tacked on his team-leading 12th in the ninth. Meanwhile, Padres right-handed starter Randy Vasquez turned in five solid innings, but it didn't start well. Staked to that 4-0 lead, Vasquez couldn't turn in a shutdown inning as Pete Alonso homered, Samuel Bassallo walked and Leody Taveras tripled off the right-field wall to pull the Orioles within 4-2. But he was good from there, finishing by allowing six hits and two walks with five strikeouts. The home runs and Bogaerts being hit in the head led to an ejection of Padres right-hander Ron Marinaccio in the eighth inning after he plunked Orioles star Gunnar Henderson in the ninth. Henderson was also buzzed by right-hander Bradgley Rodriguez in the seventh, which likely played into the ejection. Stammen also got tossed following a lengthy argument. Game 3: In a series in which the Padres faced some adversity with injuries, they came out with their second straight series victory following a 5-2 victory over the Orioles. Duran, suddenly thrust into the No. 1 catcher's role as Fermin went on the seven-day concussion list before the game, played hero as he homered for the second day in a row and also had a run-scoring double as part of a three-RBI day out of the No. 9 spot. Tatis also had a pair of hits and drove in the other two runs. While they didn't score in the first inning (after putting up a season-high four Saturday), the Friars did threaten as Merrill singled with one out and Bogaerts walked with two outs. But that set the stage for the second inning as Taylor had a leadoff bunt single and took second on Solak's groundout. After Bowen struck out, Duran hit a grounder up the middle that caromed off second base and into right-center, bringing in Taylor with Duran racing into second for a hustle double. Tatis then grounded one past the shortstop and into center to plate Duran for a 2-0 edge. After an Orioles run in the fifth, Duran made it 4-1 with a two-run homer after a Will Wagner walk, a 432-foot shot into the Friars' bullpen in left-center. Duran was in the middle of things again in the ninth. Wagner reached on an error by Henderson, the shortstop, and went to third when Duran benefited from second baseman Jackson Holliday's error. Tatis hit a sacrifice fly to right that Wagner, upon replay review, beat the throw home with a nice slide. Buehler again battled, but was better than he was Monday. He made it through five innings on 86 pitches (60 strikes), with six hits and no walks, striking out five. The only run came on a fifth-inning leadoff homer by Jeremiah Jackson. Adam gave up a run in the seventh and Miller was again called upon to get a four-out save, which he did with three strikeouts for his 19th of the year. Now the nine-game road trip continues against the St. Louis Cardinals and then the Texas Rangers. Marvelous Mason Miller Some of the amazing stats for the Padres' closer: Season stats: 1-1, 0.90 ERA, 29 games, 19 saves (19 chances), 30 IP, 12 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 12 BB, 59 K, .119 opponent average Has 19 saves, which is second-most in MLB behind the 23 (in 25 opportunities) by Cade Smith of the Cleveland Guardians. Sunday marked his fifth four-out save of the season and 14th of his career. Has finished 25 of the Padres' 37 victories. Has not allowed an earned run in 51 of his 53 appearances as a Padre, including the postseason. Random Stats With his 2-for-3 game Monday vs. the Reds, Jase Bowen became the first Padre to notch his first run, first walk, first stolen base and first multi-hit game of his career in the same game. Bowen had two steals, becoming the first player to do all of that with two steals since Tom Shopay of the New York Yankees on Sept. 23, 1967, vs. the Minnesota Twins. Padres relievers struck out 13 on Tuesday vs. the Reds, the second time this season they had that many in a single game. The other came May 6 against the San Francisco Giants, a game in which the Friars used an opener and Matt Waldron fanned seven. Will Wagner went 3-for-4 with a double and two walks in his first two games after being called up. After being acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline last year, Wagner went 2-for-15 with no extra-base hits and two walks in 15 games. Samad Taylor's first career homer Saturday came in his 107th plate appearance, spanning the last four seasons with the Kansas City Royals (69 PAs in 2023), Seattle Mariners (.14 in 2024-25) and now Padres (23 entering the game). Randy Vasquez notched his sixth win of the season Saturday, matching his previous career high set last year. He had 12 wins in the previous three years entering the season. Transactions Tuesday: Placed SS Xander Bogaerts on the paternity list. Tuesday: Recalled IF Will Wagner from Triple-A El Paso. Wednesday: Signed free agent 1B Nick Pratto to a minor-league contract and assigned him to Triple-A El Paso. Friday: Activated SS Xander Bogaerts from the paternity list. Friday: Designated OF Bryce Johnson for assignment. Saturday: Placed DH Miguel Andujar on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Thursday with a strained left hamstring. Saturday: Selected the contract of 1B-OF Nick Solak from Triple-A El Paso. Sunday: Placed C Freddy Fermin on the 7-day concussion list. Sunday: Selected the contract of C Blake Hunt from Triple-A El Paso. Sunday: Designated RHP Ty Adcock for assignment. Sunday: Sent RHP Matt Waldron on a rehab assignment to Triple-A El Paso. Website Highlights Desperate Padres might as well lean into Taylor's skill set — Randy Holt Padres trade chips: What prospects could be available in a trade? — Steve Drumwright Padres' lack of punch threatening to tank season — Tom Gatto Padres are still waiting for the Bogaerts who dominated in Boston — Yirsandy Rodriguez Offseason budget restrictions proving to be Padres' undoing in 2026 — Randy Holt Buehler back on the upswing with Padres — Yirsandy Rodriguez Looking Ahead Monday: Padres (Lucas Giolito) at Cardinals (Dustin May), 4:45 p.m. Tuesday: Padres (Michael King) at Cardinals (Andre Pallante), 4:45 p.m. Wednesday: Padres (Griffin Canning) at Cardinals (Kyle Leahy), 11:15 a.m. Thursday: Off Friday: Padres (Randy Vasquez) at Rangers (Jacob deGrom), 5:05 p.m. Saturday: Padres (Walker Buehler) at Rangers (Nathan Eovaldi), 1:05 p.m. Sunday: Padres (Lucas Giolito) at Rangers (MacKenzie Gore), 11:35 a.m. View full article

San Diego Padres affiliate split their four games as the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas lost to Round Rock 5-4 in the ninth, the Double-A San Antonio Missions winning with a 12th-inning walk-off 6-5 over Frisco, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps were pummelled 17-1 by Dayton and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm winning 5-4 over Ontario on a ninth-inning walk-off. Padres Minor-League Transactions San Diego Padres selected the contract of C Blake Hunt from El Paso Chihuahuas. C Colton Vincent assigned to El Paso Chihuahuas from ACL Padres. San Diego Padres sent RHP Matt Waldron on a rehab assignment to El Paso Chihuahuas. El Paso Chihuahuas sent RHP Daison Acosta on a rehab assignment to Lake Elsinore Storm. Matt Waldron Makes First Rehab Start, But Chihuahuas Walked Off Padres right-handed starter Matt Waldron had a nice first rehab appearance, but the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas surrendered a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth-inning, including a walk-off bases-loaded walk, in a 5-4 loss to the Round Rock Express. The Chihuahuas (31-38) still won four of the six games in the series. Carlos Rodriguez extended his career-high hitting streak to 20 games, with his on-base streak at 24 games, by going 2-for-5 with a run scored. Clay Dungan had a pair of hits and drove in two for the Chihuahuas. Marcos Castanon singled, giving him a hit in 23 of his last 24 games. Waldron has been on the 15-day injured list since May 15 with a right brachialis muscle injury. In his first rehab start, he threw 27 pitches, including 19 strikes, and went 2⅓ innings, giving up just a hit with no walks or strikeouts. The Express scored twice in the fourth after Waldron exited, with Dungan getting one back on a fifth-inning RBI single, only to see Round Rock go back up 3-1 in the bottom of the fifth. Dylan Grego, just promoted from Low-A Lake Elsinore due to recent Chihuahuas being called up by the Padres, and Nate Mondou had RBI singles in the top of the sixth to tie the game 3-3. Dungan then drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth to put the Chihuas on top 4-3. But a run-scoring double with one out and bases-loaded walk with two outs off right-hander Ethan Routzahn gave the Express the win in the bottom of the ninth. EP_0614.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Carlos Rodríguez 5 1 2 0 0 0 Nick Pratto 3 0 1 0 2 0 Clay Dungan 4 0 2 2 1 2 Marcos Castañon 5 0 1 0 0 0 Nick Schnell 5 0 0 0 0 3 Victor Duarte 4 1 1 0 0 3 Anthony Vilar 4 1 0 0 1 2 Dylan Grego 3 0 1 1 1 0 Nate Mondou 3 1 1 1 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Matt Waldron 2 1/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 Michael Flynn 2/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 Marco Gonzales 4 3 3 1 1 2 0 Sean Boyle 2/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 Miguel Cienfuegos 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ethan Routzahn 2/3 2 2 2 3 0 0 Romeo Sanabria Launches 12th-Inning Walk-Off HR For Missions Romeo Sanabria crushed a two-run walk-off homer with two outs to cap a three-run bottom of the 12th inning as the host Double-A San Antonio Missions rallied for a 6-5 victory over the Frisco RoughRiders. The win was just the second in the six-game series for the Missions (27-36). After a scoreless 10th and 11th innings, Frisco scored twice in the top of the 12th to go up 5-3. With one out, Ethan Salas, Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect, grounded a single up the middle to score zombie runner Kai Roberts. After a strikeout, Salas was caught stealing for the second out. But Braedon Karpathios kept the inning alive with a double to left. Sanabria stepped up and worked a full count, drilling the seventh pitch of the at-bat out to right-center for his seventh homer of the season. Missions right-handed starter Victor Lizarraga gave up a pair of runs in five innings on four hits and two walks with two strikeouts. From there, the bullpen was really good as seven relievers allowed five hits over the final seven innings, but did give up the tying run in the top of the ninth. That came after the Missions scored three times in the eighth to take a 3-2 lead. Ryan Jackson had a two-run triple and scored on a two-out wild pitch. SA_0614.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Jackson 6 1 2 2 0 1 Ethan Salas 5 0 1 1 1 1 Braedon Karpathios 6 1 1 0 0 4 Romeo Sanabria 6 1 2 2 0 2 Francisco Acuna 5 0 2 0 0 0 Albert Fabian 5 0 0 0 0 2 Brendan Durfee 2 0 0 0 1 1 Tirso Ornelas 0 0 0 0 2 0 Luis Verdugo 4 1 1 0 1 1 Kai Murphy 2 0 1 0 0 1 Kai Roberts 2 2 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Victor Lizarraga 5 4 2 2 2 2 1 Andrew Moore 1 0 0 0 3 3 0 Josh Mallitz 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Andrew Thurman 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Johan Moreno 1 2 1 1 1 1 0 Omar Cruz 2 0 0 0 0 5 0 Clark Candiotti 2/3 1 2 1 0 0 0 Chris Sargent 1/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 TinCaps Pummeled By Dragons In Rain-Shortened Rout Kavares Tears homered for the second game in a row, but a slew of High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps pitchers couldn't slow down a six-homer attack by the Dayton Dragons in a 17-1 loss. The game was called after seven innings due to rain. The TinCaps (25-38) won just once in the six-game series and have lost 10 of their last 11. Tears hit a solo shot in the fifth inning, but by that time, the TinCaps were already down 6-0. The Dragons poured it on from there, with two more in the bottom of the fifth, six in the sixth and the final three in the seventh. All six TinCaps pitchers gave up at least two runs, including four by right-hander Isaiah Lowe, who made his first start since April 29. FW_0614.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Justin DeCriscio 4 0 0 0 0 0 Carlos Rodriguez 3 0 1 0 0 0 Lamar King Jr. 3 0 1 0 0 0 Alex McCoy 2 0 2 0 1 0 Jake Cunningham 3 0 0 0 0 1 Rosman Verdugo 3 0 0 0 0 1 Kavares Tears 2 1 1 1 1 1 Zach Evans 3 0 1 0 0 0 Kasen Wells 3 0 1 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Isaiah Lowe 2 3 4 4 2 1 2 Kleiber Olmedo 2 4 2 2 1 2 0 Jeferson Villabona 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 Luis Germán 2/3 0 4 0 3 1 0 Braian Salazar 1/3 3 2 2 1 0 2 C.J. Widger 2/3 3 3 3 2 1 1 Ryan Wideman Drills Walk-Off HR As Storm Close To Clinching Ryan Wideman, the minors' stolen base leader, smashed a walk-off homer on the first pitch of the bottom of the ninth inning as the host Lake Elsinore Storm pulled out an 8-7 victory over the Ontario Tower Buzzers. The Storm (36-27) won the final two games of the series to split the six-game set and lead the California League's South Division by 2½ games over Rancho Cucamonga. There are three games left in the first half, with the Storm's magic number down to one. The homer, off the scoreboard in right-center field, capped a 4-for-5 day in which Wideman, Padres Mission's No. 5 prospect, drove in three and scored two. He did not steal a base, but was picked off once, and has 42 for the season. The homer was Wideman's sixth of the season. The Storm trailed 3-0, but scored seven times in the fifth inning, the only other inning they scored before Wideman's homer in the ninth. Yoiber Ocopio led off the inning with an infield single and went to second on a throwing error by the third baseman. After a strikeout and a pitching change, Jorge Quintana was hit by a pitch and a wild pitch advanced both runners. George Bilecki walked to load the bases, Conner Westenburg was hit by a pitch to drive in the first run, then Wideman singled home two more to tie the game 3-3. Kerrington Cross walked to reload the bases and, following a second pitching change in the inning, Jose Verdugo walked to snap the tie. Luke Cantwell and Ocopio, batting for the second time in the frame, also followed with bases-loaded walks to make it 6-3. After a strikeout, Quintana was hit by a pitch for the second time in the inning to bring in the final run of the seven-run rally. Ocopio was the only other Storm player besides Wideman to get a hit, going 2-for-3. The Storm needed seven pitchers to get through nine innings. Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Wideman 5 2 4 3 0 1 Kerrington Cross 2 1 0 0 2 2 Jose Verdugo 3 1 0 1 1 0 Luke Cantwell 3 0 0 1 1 0 Yoiber Ocopio 3 1 2 1 1 1 Truitt Madonna 4 0 0 0 0 2 Jorge Quintana 2 1 0 1 0 0 George Bilecki 3 1 0 0 1 1 Conner Westenburg 3 1 0 1 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Carlos Medina 3 2/3 5 3 3 2 1 1 Carson Swilling 1 1/3 0 0 0 1 3 0 Nick Falter 2/3 4 4 4 1 1 2 Vicarte Domingo 1/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 Sean Barnett 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 Brandon Langley 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Will Koger 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 Padres Mission Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 1-for-5, K Kash Mayfield: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ryan Wideman: 4-for-5, HR, K Jorge Quintana: 0-for-2 Ty Harvey: On injured list Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Braedon Karpathios: 1-for-6, 2B, 4 K Lamar King Jr.: 1-for-3 Jagger Haynes: DNP Alex McCoy: 2-for-2 Truitt Madonna: 0-for-4, 2 K Tucker Musgrove: DNP Garrett Hawkins: DNP Michael Salina: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Rosman Verdugo: 0-for-3, K Bryan Balzer: DNP Deivid Coronil: DNP View full article

A freak occurrence has sidelined Freddy Fermin. The catcher was put on the seven-day concussion list Sunday by the San Diego Padres, who called up catcher Blake Hunt from Triple-A El Paso. Right-handed reliever Ty Adcock was designated for assignment to make room for Hunt on the 40-man roster. Fermin was injured in the sixth inning of Saturday's 9-3 win. As left-handed reliever Yuki Matsui was warming up, he spiked one of his pitches. Fermin turned his head as he attempted to stop it, but the ball ricocheted and hit him in the back of the head. He was removed from the game, replaced by Rodolfo Duran. Luis Campusano, the Padres' other main catcher, remains on the 10-day IL with a fractured big left toe. Fermin is the second Padre to currently be on the concussion list, joining second baseman Jake Cronenworth, where he has been since May 5. Fermin had been coming around with the bat recently, homering in three straight games. He has a .148/.243/.262 slash line with those three homers and 11 RBIs in 51 games. Hunt was slashing .289/.431/.533 in 15 games in the minors with three home runs and eight RBIs. His season was delayed by an oblique injury. Adcock was signed to a major-league contract in the offseason. An oblique injury in spring training sidelined him. In the minors, Adcock has a 7.15 ERA in 11⅓ innings over 11 appearances, with six walks and 15 strikeouts. He has appeared in 18 MLB games the last three seasons with the Seattle Mariners and New York Mets. View full rumor

San Diego Padres affiliates went 2-2 as the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas dropped Round Rock 7-2, the Double-A San Antonio Missions were pounded by Frisco 10-1, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps fell to Dayton 7-3 and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm cruised past Ontario 17-1. Padres Minor-League Transactions San Diego Padres selected the contract of 1B Nick Solak from El Paso Chihuahuas. SS Dylan Grego assigned to El Paso Chihuahuas from Lake Elsinore Storm. El Paso Chihuahuas activated 2B Victor Duarte from the Development List. Two Homers From Marcos Castanon Send Chihuahuas Past Express Marcos Castanon homered twice and newcomer Nick Pratto went deep and drove in three runs as the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas toppled the host Round Rock Express 7-2. Carlos Rodriguez made it a career-best 19 games in a row with a hit, but it took a ninth-inning infield single to keep it going. He has also reached base in 23 straight games. Chihuahuas left-handed starter Jackson Wolf struck out six over five innings, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks. Right-handers Logan Gillaspie (two innings), Ty Adcock and Alek Jacob pitched four scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and no walks. El Paso jumped out to a 5-0 lead after the top of the fourth. Castanon hit a solo shot in the second inning to left field, then followed Nick Schnell's RBI single with a sacrifice fly in the third inning for a 3-0 edge and Pratto delivered his second homer in three games after joining the Chihuahuas on Wednesday after playing for the Express. After the Express scored once in the bottom of the fourth, Castanon got that run back on a one-out solo homer in the fifth on an opposite-field line shot down the right-field line, his 10th of the season, for a 6-1 lead. Castanon has four multihomer games in his career. Round Rock answered right back with a run in the bottom of the fifth, but that would be it against the Chihuahuas' bullpen. Pratto sealed things in the ninth with an RBI single. EP1_0613.mp4 EP2_0613.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Carlos Rodriguez 3 2 1 0 2 0 Nick Pratto 4 2 2 3 1 1 Clay Dungan 4 1 0 0 0 2 Nick Schnell 5 0 1 1 0 3 Marcos Castanon 3 2 2 3 0 0 Blake Hunt 3 0 0 0 1 0 Anthony Vilar 4 0 1 0 0 2 Dylan Grego 3 0 0 0 1 1 Nate Mondou 4 0 0 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jackson Wolf 5 5 2 2 3 6 1 Logan Gillaspie 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 Ty Adcock 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Alek Jacob 1 1 0 0 2 0 0 Missions Come Apart Late In Falling To Frisco For the second time this week, the host Double-A San Antonio Missions were held to just three hits and lost, this one punctuated with all 10 Frisco runs coming in the eighth and ninth innings as the RoughRiders won 10-1. For quite a while, it looked like the Missions were going to make Tirso Ornelas' first-inning solo homer with two outs stand up. But the RoughRiders scored two runs in the top of the eighth when, with runners on second and third, third baseman Luis Verdugo couldn't handle a throw from catcher Brendan Durfee after pitcher Sadrac Franco fielded a comebacker and threw home. Both runners scored for a 2-1 lead. The floodgates opened in the ninth when the RoughRiders scored eight runs, including a pair of homers. Before that, Missions pitching had been pretty good. Right-handed starter Ian Koenig pitched five shutout innings, giving up a pair of his while walking three and striking out a pair. Left-hander Harry Gustin struck out four in two shutout innings, while Franco allowed the two unearned runs on one hit and a walk with two punchouts. Right-hander Francis Pena was tagged for five runs and didn't record an out in the ninth, while right-hander Clark Candiotti gave up the other three runs. SA_0613.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Braedon Karpathios 4 0 0 0 0 3 Romeo Sanabria 4 0 0 0 0 1 Tirso Ornelas 4 1 1 1 0 1 Ryan Jackson 3 0 0 0 1 1 Albert Fabian 4 0 1 0 0 1 Francisco Acuna 2 0 0 0 1 1 Brendan Durfee 3 0 1 0 0 0 Luis Verdugo 3 0 0 0 0 3 Kai Roberts 3 0 0 0 0 3 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Ian Koenig 5 2 0 0 3 2 0 Harry Gustin 2 2 0 0 0 4 0 Sadrac Franco 1 1 2 0 1 2 0 Francis Pena 0 3 5 5 2 0 0 Clark Candiotti 1 3 3 3 0 1 2 TinCaps Unable To Keep Up With Dragons Justin DeCriscio homered for the second game in a row, but the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps dropped a 7-3 decision to the host Dayton Dragons, who scored four runs in the fourth inning. After hitting a grand slam the night before as the TinCaps snapped an eight-game losing streak, DeCrisco went deep for the fourth time this year, leading off the game with a drive to left field. Kavares Tears also homered for the TinCaps, hitting a solo shot to right-center in the fourth inning, his sixth this season. That put the TinCaps up 2-1, but the Dragons took control with four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and put it away with two more in the seventh. TinCaps left-handed starter Jamie Hitt surrendered five runs on six hits and two walks with a pair of strikeouts in 3⅓ innings. Tucker Musgrove, Padres Mission's No. 14 prospect, pitched a perfect ninth inning with two punchouts. With 36 strikeouts in 16⅔ innings, Musgrove leads all minor-league relievers (10 innings minimum) with 19.44 strikeouts per nine innings. FW_0613.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Justin DeCriscio 5 1 2 1 0 0 Carlos Rodriguez 4 0 1 0 1 1 Rosman Verdugo 4 0 1 1 1 1 Alex McCoy 4 0 1 0 0 0 Kavares Tears 3 1 1 1 1 2 Jack Costello 4 0 0 0 0 2 Zach Evans 4 0 1 0 0 3 Oswaldo Linares 4 0 0 0 0 0 Kasen Wells 2 1 1 0 2 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jamie Hitt 3 1/3 6 5 5 2 2 1 Igor Gil 1 2/3 0 0 0 0 3 0 Javier Chacon 2 3 2 2 2 2 0 Tucker Musgrove 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Tyler Schmitt Fans 11, Storm Explode For 17 Runs In Rout Right-handed starter Tyler Schmitt struck out a season-high 11 over six innings, while Kerrington homered and drove in four runs as the host Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm blitzed the Ontario Buzzers early and often for a 17-1 victory. It was the Storm's second-highest run total, behind only a 21-0 victory over Rancho Cucamonga on April 9. Schmitt, who made his pro debut after being a 17th-round draft choice last year, allowed just four hits and a walk and surpassed his previous season high of nine set two starts ago. Right-hander Daichi Moriki allowed just one hit in two innings, while left-hander Cal Riehl allowed a run in the ninth. Yoiber Ocopio had four hits and scored three times, Truitt Madonna went 3-for-4 with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored, George Bilecki homered and drove in three, Cross had a pair of hits and scored twice and Ryan Wideman, Padres Mission's No. 5 prospect, went 2-for-3 with two walks, three runs scored and two more stolen bases to bring his minors-leading total to 42. Cross' ninth homer was a two-run shot that highlighted a four-run first inning, while a six-run third inning featured runs scoring on a hit by pitch, a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly, two balks and Cross' RBI double to cap the outburst. Four more runs came across in the fifth on a hit by pitch, two more bases-loaded walks and another wild pitch. In the seventh, Madonna had an RBI double and Bilecki a two-run homer. The Storm drew nine walks in addition to pounding out 17 hits. LE_0613.mp4 AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Wideman 3 3 2 0 2 1 Qrey Lott 1 0 1 0 0 0 Kerrington Cross 4 2 2 4 0 0 Yimy Tovar 1 0 0 0 0 0 Jose Verdugo 4 1 1 1 1 0 Alcides Hernandez 1 0 0 0 0 1 Luke Cantwell 4 2 1 1 2 1 Yoiber Ocopio 5 3 4 0 0 0 Truitt Madonna 4 2 3 3 1 1 Jorge Quintana 6 0 1 0 0 1 George Bilecki 4 2 1 3 1 2 Conner Westenburg 2 2 1 0 2 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Tyler Schmitt 6 4 0 0 1 11 0 Daichi Moriki 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 Cal Riehl 1 2 1 1 0 1 0 Padres Mission Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: DNP Kash Mayfield: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ryan Wideman: 2-for-3, K Jorge Quintana: 1-for-6, K Ty Harvey: On injured list Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Braedon Karpathios: 0-for-4, 3 K Lamar King Jr.: DNP Jagger Haynes: DNP Alex McCoy: 1-for-4 Truitt Madonna: 3-for-4, 2B, K Tucker Musgrove: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K Garrett Hawkins: DNP Michael Salina: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Rosman Verdugo: 1-for-4, K Bryan Balzer: DNP Deivid Coronil: DNP View full article

One of the San Diego Padres' subtle offensive contributors will be sidelined for a bit. Designated hitter-third baseman Miguel Andujar was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday by the San Diego Padres due to a strained left hamstring. Outfielder-DH Nick Solak was called up from Triple-A El Paso to take his place. The Padres had an opening on their 40-man roster after outfielder Bryce Johnson was designated for assignment Friday. Andujar injured his hamstring in Sunday's 7-3 loss to the New York Mets on a seventh-inning single. While he originally stayed in the game, he was removed, with Johnson pinch-running for him. Andujar did have pinch-hit appearances Tuesday and Wednesday against the Cincinnati Reds, replaced by pinch-runner Jase Bowen after drawing a walk Tuesday. It is the same hamstring that bothered Andujar earlier in the season. Solak is the fourth member of the Chihuahuas to come up in the past two weeks, joining outfielder-infielder Samad Taylor, outfielder Jase Bowen and infielder Will Wagner. Solak has a good track record offensively, but has been a liability defensively, particularly when he was playing second base. He has stuck to corner spots (first base, left field, right field) in recent seasons. This year at El Paso, Solak was slashing .333/.412/.512 with nine homers and a team-high 40 RBIs. His .333 batting average is the highest among players currently in the Pacific Coast League and has reached base in 17 of his last 18 games. Solak has 259 games of MLB experience since making his debut in 2019 with a career slash line of .250/.325/.369 with 21 homers and 93 RBIs. View full rumor

San Diego Padres affiliates went 3-1 Friday as the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas topped the Round Rock Express 3-2, the Double-A San Antonio Missions blanked Frisco 3-0, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps beat Dayton 10-6 and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm fell to Ontario 9-8. Padres Minor-League Transactions El Paso Chihuahuas transferred LHP Fernando Sanchez from the 7-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. German Marquez, Nick Schnell Spark Chihuahuas' Triumph Padres right-hander German Marquez tossed four shutout innings and Nick Schnell's eighth-inning single drove in a pair of runs as the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas edged the host Round Rock Express 3-2. The Chihuahuas had seven hits, all by different players. That included Carlos Rodriguez, who kept his hitting streak alive at 18 games and putting his on-base streak at 22. Rodriguez has the longest active streak in the Pacific Coast League. Marquez, on the 15-day injured list with nerve inflammation in his right forearm, gave up three hits and a walk while striking out two in his third rehab start. He hasn't allowed a run in 10⅓ on his rehab assignment, with five hits, two walks and seven strikeouts. The Chihuahuas took a 1-0 lead on recently signed Nick Pratto, who doubled home Schnell in the second inning. Schnell had reached on a throwing error by the pitcher. Once Marquez exited, the Express scored runs off the next two Chihuahuas relievers, right-handers Triston McKenzie and Justin Yeager, in the fifth and sixth innings to go up 2-1. In the eighth, Blake Hunt drew a leadoff walk, Rodriguez grounded a single to right to keep his hitting streak alive, sending Hunt to third. After Rodriguez stole second, Schnell followed a strikeout by lacing a single past the second baseman and into right-center to bring in the tying and go-ahead runs. Chihuahuas right-hander Sean Boyle pitched a perfect eighth and right-hander Ethan Routzahn a perfect ninth for his sixth save of the season and El Paso's fifth win in six games. EP_0612.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Pablo Reyes 1 0 0 0 0 1 Blake Hunt 3 1 1 0 1 2 Carlos Rodriguez 3 1 1 0 1 1 Nick Solak 4 0 0 0 0 1 Nick Schnell 4 1 1 2 0 0 Clay Dungan 4 0 1 0 0 1 Nick Pratto 4 0 1 1 0 0 Marcos Castanon 4 0 1 0 0 2 Anthony Vilar 3 0 0 0 1 2 Nate Mondou 4 0 1 0 0 0 Totals 34 3 7 3 3 10 Player IP H R ER BB K HR German Marquez 4 3 0 0 1 2 0 Triston McKenzie 1 2 1 1 1 1 0 Justin Yeager 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 Misael Tamarez (W, 2-1) 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Sean Boyle (H, 2) 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Ethan Routzahn (S, 6) 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Jagger Haynes Tosses 6 Shutout Innings, Missions Win Late Left-handed starter Jagger Haynes allowed just one hit over six innings, combining on a two-hit shutout, and Braedon Karpathios snapped a scoreless game with an RBI single in a three-run eighth inning that gave the host Double-A San Antonio Missions a 3-0 victory over the Frisco RoughRiders. Haynes, Padres Mission's No. 11 prospect, retired the first eight RoughRiders hitters before allowing a sharp single to center. He walked a pair and struck out five in his best start of the season. Right-hander Josh Mallitz pitched two perfect innings, striking out three, with right-hander Johan Moreno giving up a hit and striking out one in the ninth to earn his fourth save this year. It was the Missions' third shutout, all coming at home. That stellar pitching was needed as the Chihuahuas were kept off the board until the bottom of the eighth. Kai Murphy had a leadoff single and pinch-runner Kai Roberts went to second on Ethan Salas' single. Karpathios made it three consecutive hits by putting one just past a diving shortstop on the right-field side of the bag and into center to bring in the game's first run, with Salas advancing to third. Romeo Sanabria grounded up the middle to almost the exact same spot, but the shortstop snared this one and threw Sanabria out at first as Salas scored to make it 2-0, with Karpathios going to second. Tirso Ornelas walked, but ball four was a wild pitch, sending Karpathios to third. Ryan Jackson grounded to the hole at short and the RoughRiders were only able to get the forceout at second as Karpathios scored for a 3-0 lead. SA_0612.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ethan Salas 4 1 1 0 0 0 Braedon Karpathios 4 1 1 1 0 3 Romeo Sanabria 3 0 0 1 1 1 Tirso Ornelas 3 0 0 0 1 1 Ryan Jackson 4 0 2 1 0 0 Albert Fabian 3 0 0 0 1 1 Luis Verdugo 3 0 1 0 0 1 Francisco Acuna 3 0 0 0 0 1 Kai Murphy 2 0 1 0 0 0 Kai Roberts 0 1 0 0 0 0 Totals 29 3 6 3 3 8 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jagger Haynes 6 1 0 0 2 5 0 Josh Mallitz (W, 2-0) 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 Johan Moreno (S, 4) 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Justin DeCriscio's Slam Helps TinCaps End Losing Streak At 8 Justin DeCriscio hit his first career grand slam as part of a seven-run fourth inning as the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps snapped a season-worst eight-game losing skid with a 10-6 victory over the Dayton Dragons. Rosman Verdugo had a homer among his three hits, while Alex McCoy and Zach Evans also went 3-for-5 as the TinCaps pounded out 16 hits. McCoy, in a 3-for-34 funk entering the game, had a pair of doubles and scored twice, while Verdugo and Evans also scored twice. The TinCaps had scored 32 runs during their eight-game streak while allowing 79, but broke out with seven runs in a single inning to take early control. McCoy started things off with his first double of the night and went to third on a fielding error by the right fielder. Verdugo singled McCoy home, Kavares Tears had a double, Jack Costello had a sacrifice fly to make it 2-1, Evans hit a chopper back to the pitcher that was thrown away allowing Tears to score, Kasen Wells was hit by a pitch to load the bases. DeCriscio stepped up to the plate and hit the first pitch out to left field for a grand slam, his third homer of the season. Dayton scored four in the fifth to pull within 7-5, but the TinCaps got two more in the sixth on Verdugo's two-run homer, his 10th of the season. FW_0612.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Justin DeCriscio 5 1 2 4 0 1 Carlos Rodriguez 4 0 0 0 2 0 Jake Cunningham 5 0 0 0 1 4 Alex McCoy 5 2 3 0 1 1 Rosman Verdugo 5 2 3 3 1 1 Kavares Tears 5 1 2 0 0 0 Jack Costello 5 1 1 1 0 1 Zach Evans 5 2 3 1 0 1 Kasen Wells 3 1 2 0 1 0 Totals 42 10 16 9 6 9 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Abraham Parra (W, 1-5) 5 3 5 5 4 5 1 Jeferson Villabona 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Ryan Och (H, 1) 1 2/3 1 0 0 1 4 0 Will Varmette (S, 1) 1 1/3 0 0 0 2 2 0 Truitt Madonna's 4 RBIs Not Enough As Storm Fall In Ninth Truitt Madonna had a pair of doubles and drove in four, but the host Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm gave up nine runs over the last four innings, including two in the ninth to break a tie, to fall to the Ontario Tower Buzzers 9-8. Ryan Wideman, Padres Mission's No. 5 prospect, singled and stole his minors-leading 40th base in the second inning. Storm left-handed starter Kruz Schoolcraft, Padres Mission's No. 4 prospect, struck out seven over five innings, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk. The Storm jumped out to a 5-0 lead, including Madonna's bases-loaded double in the first and a run in the fourth off Los Angeles Dodgers rehabbing reliever Brock Stewart in the fourth. The Tower Buzzers came back with four runs in the top of the sixth. Another Storm run in the bottom of the sixth made it 6-4, then the Tower Buzzers took the lead 7-6 with a three-run seventh. The Storm tied it in the eighth, but the Tower Buzzers took the lead in the ninth. In the bottom of the ninth, the Storm put together a rally. Luke Cantwell led off the inning with a walk, went to second on a wild pitch and to third on Yimi Tovar's flyout to center. Madonna grounded out to third, plating Cantwell. Jorge Quintana doubled, but George Bilecki flew out to left to end the game. LE_0612.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Wideman 4 1 1 0 1 0 Kerrington Cross 5 1 2 1 0 1 Jose Verdugo 5 1 1 0 0 2 Luke Cantwell 2 2 1 0 3 0 Bradley Frye 0 1 0 0 0 0 Yimy Tovar 3 0 0 1 1 0 Truitt Madonna 4 1 2 4 1 1 Jorge Quintana 5 0 1 0 0 4 George Bilecki 5 0 1 1 0 2 Conner Westenburg 2 1 0 0 2 2 Totals 35 8 9 7 8 12 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Kruz Schoolcraft 5 4 2 2 1 7 0 Rordy Mejia 1 1 2 2 0 0 1 Joseph Herrera (H, 2) 1/3 2 2 2 0 1 0 Vicarte Domingo 2/3 0 1 0 1 1 0 Brandon Langley (L, 3-2) 2 1 2 1 1 2 0 Padres Mission Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 1-for-4 Kash Mayfield: DNP Miguel Mendez: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K Ryan Wideman: 1-for-4 Jorge Quintana: 1-for-5, 2B, 4 K Ty Harvey: On injured list Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Braedon Karpathios: 1-for-4, 3 K Lamar King Jr.: DNP Jagger Haynes: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K Alex McCoy: 3-for-5, 2 2B, 1 K Truitt Madonna: 2-for-4, 2 2B, 1 K Tucker Musgrove: DNP Garrett Hawkins: DNP Michael Salina: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Rosman Verdugo: 3-for-5, HR, 1 K Bryan Balzer: DNP Deivid Coronil: DNP View full article

The San Diego Padres are riding with the new guys. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts was activated from the paternity list Friday, with a surprising counter-move: outfielder Bryce Johnson was designated for assignment. The Padres begin a nine-game road trip Friday with three games against the Baltimore Orioles. It would have seemed routine had the Padres sent infielder Will Wagner, the son of Hall of Famer Billy Wagner, back to Triple-A El Paso after he was called up Tuesday to replace Bogaerts, whose wife gave birth to the couple's third child. Two other choices might have even made sense with outfielder-infielder Samad Taylor or outfielder Jase Bowen, both recent call-ups. Instead, it was Johnson, the switch-hitting outfielder who was DFA'd after posting a .178/.229/.222 slash line with no homers and two RBIs in 32 games. The play of Taylor and Bowen, a pair of energy guys, has been solid thus far, in particular some noteworthy contributions by Taylor. Johnson, a good defender who can play any outfield spot, is the second player from the Opening Day roster who has been DFA'd, joining outfielder Nick Castellanos. There is a chance that if Johnson goes unclaimed, he could return to Triple-A. View full rumor

With the calendar flipping to June, every front office's focus has turned to the trade deadline. [And the draft, of course, but for the purposes of this exercise, the trade deadline is our only consideration.] Most of the chatter is on who certain teams should be acquiring. Already, the San Diego Padres have been linked to two left-handers: two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman. How credible at least the Skubal talk is remains to be seen. But, what would it take for the Friars to acquire any player, much less Skubal? And do the Padres have those players? That is obviously debatable. The Padres have the consensus worst minor-league system in MLB thanks to previous deals made by president of baseball operations A.J. Preller. When scanning through Padres Mission's Top 20 prospects, there are maybe two that you have to consider virtually untouchable. Those would be catcher Ethan Salas and left-handed starter Kash Mayfield, the Friars' top two prospects. Salas, our No. 1 prospect, is one of the rare catchers who is projected to not only be a terrific defender at the MLB level, but also a quality hitter. The left-handed hitter, who turned 20 last week, has restored the luster on his prospect status this year at Double-A San Antonio after missing almost all of 2025 with a back injury. He's currently hitting .291/.350/.455 with seven homers, 32 RBIs and 12 stolen bases in 51 games. Mayfield, our No. 2 prospect, has been dominant at High-A Fort Wayne. In ten starts, he has a 3.15 ERA with a 11.8% walk rate and 30.7% strikeout rate over 40 innings. He has allowed a grand total of 21 hits and not allowed a run in six of his starts. While you can never rule out anything with Preller, let's set Salas and Mayfield aside for now. In that case, what do the Padres really have to offer teams? There are two players currently in our top 10 that jump out to me. They would be Low-A Lake Elsinore center fielder Ryan Wideman (No. 5 prospect) and Fort Wayne catcher Lamar King Jr. (No. 10). A third attractive prospect would be Lake Elsinore shortstop Jorge Quintana (No. 6), whom the Padres acquired at last year's trade deadline from the Milwaukee Brewers along with left-hander Nestor Cortes in exchange for outfielder Brandon Lockridge. Wideman is probably the most dynamic player in the system. He leads the minors in stolen bases with 39 and owns a slash line of .317/.383/.515 with five homers and 39 RBIs. There is more power to come from Wideman, but the speed threat is real and he plays the premium position of center pretty well. The biggest knock on Wideman, a third-round draft choice in 2025, entering the season was his strikeout rate, which has gone from 28.6% last year as he made his pro debut to 18.1% this year. Meanwhile, King is coming off a really nice May (.274/.384/.417) that brought his season slash line up to .248/.365/.373. He was a fourth-round pick in 2022, but was slowed by a shoulder injury and a concussion to begin his career. King has athleticism in his family as his father, Lamar King, was a first-round draft choice and played defensive end for the Seattle Seahawks. Quintana hasn't shown much offensively, producing a .228/.307/.295 slash line entering June. A switch-hitter with speed and good size (6-foot-2), his defense will carry him for a while, but will need to show more offensively. Two players currently unavailable from the top 10 are No. 7 prospect Ty Harvey, a catcher, and No. 8 prospect Kale Fountain, who was moved to the outfield this year. Harvey recently broke his left hand as it was hit by an opponent's bat and will be sidelined probably until July. Fountain is out for the season after having shoulder surgery after crashing into the fence. Both are with Lake Elsinore. In the group of the prospects ranked 11-20, three more players pop. Those are Fort Wayne outfielder Alex McCoy (No. 12), Fort Wayne right-handed reliever Tucker Musgrove (No. 14) and Triple-A right-handed reliever Garrett Hawkins (No. 15). McCoy has been a revelation this year after signing as an undrafted free agent last summer. The 6-foot-5 left fielder had a slash line of .286/.359/.571 entering June with 10 homers, 39 RBIs and nine steals. He has as much raw power as anyone in the minors. He had a 118 mph exit velocity last year with Lake Elsinore, then a 119.5 mph groundout this year. That would be the second-hardest hit by a Padre in the Statcast era (2015) behind only Manny Machado on Aug. 20, 2021. He currently leads the Midwest League in doubles (18), extra-base hits (29) and total bases (102). Musgrove was drafted as a two-way player, but has ditched hitting to focus on pitching. He has a triple-digit fastball and has been handled gently since coming back from Tommy John surgery after being drafted in the seventh round in 2023. He threw just 20 innings over 14 appearances at Lake Elsinore last year and has been strictly in a relief role for his 15 games (15 innings) this year at Fort Wayne. He is currently running a ridiculous 43.2% strikeout rate and should climb the minor-league ladder quickly if he's healthy. Hawkins is the most MLB-ready of any of these prospects, although Salas' defense is at that level now. While he has a 6.17 ERA, six of the 16 earned runs he has allowed this season came in a single outing in the thin air of Albuquerque. The Padres' Minor League Pitcher of the Year last year, Hawkins' walk and strikeout rates have gone in the wrong direction as he moved up from Double-A to Triple-A, but he should adjust to the increased level of competition sooner rather than later. One other name to watch is left-hander Jagger Haynes. He is eligible again to be selected in the Rule 5 draft after being bypassed last winter. He is at San Antonio with a 4.50 ERA. Everyone wants a left-hander, right? Everyone rates prospects differently, but the universally thin minor-league system the Padres sport could mean dealing from the MLB roster to acquire a significant piece. The bullpen is the strongest unit and it would be tough to break up that unit, although left-hander Yuki Matsui could be dealt in any trade that brings back bullpen piece. The struggling Padres offense also doesn't present many options. Infielder Sung Mun Song hasn't latched onto a role while Jake Cronenworth is out with a concussion, so Song could be on the move, too. Outfielder Jase Bowen, just called up for his MLB debut, could be part of any conversation as well. View full article