Steve Drumwright

With the regular season winding down in the minors, there is still some roster juggling going on by the San Diego Padres' affiliates despite none of the teams affected playing in the postseason. The two biggest moves involve the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas, who are getting Padres designated hitter Miguel Andujar on a rehab assignment as well as right fielder Braedon Karpathios (Padres Mission's No. 9 prospect). Karpathios was promoted from the Double-A San Antonio Missions after driving in 13 runs last week. Other moves are left-handed starter Luis Gutierrez and catcher Anthony Vilar going up from San Antonio to El Paso, with third baseman Kerrington Cross, right-handed starter Carson Montgomery and right-handed reliever moving from the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps to Double-A San Antonio. Andujar is making his way back from a fractured right wrist he sustained July 19. Double-A San Antonio is beginning its final week of the season on the road against the Amarillo Sod Poodles, while Triple-A El Paso has two weeks remaining, this week on the road vs. the Tacoma Rainiers and then finishing at home by facing the Oklahoma City Comets. High-A Fort Wayne completed its season Sunday, while the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm begin the best-of-three California League semifinals Tuesday against the Ontario Tower Buzzers on the road. The Padres also signed right-handed reliever Trevor Gott to a minor-league contract. He is expected to go to Triple-A. View full rumor

With the San Diego Padres making the return of right-handed starter Nick Pivetta official, two players are paying the price. Right-hander Jhony Brito was optioned to Triple-A El Paso to make room on the 26-man roster for Pivetta, while Triple-A catcher Blake Hunt was designated for assignment to create a spot on the 40-man roster. Pivetta, the Padres' Opening Day starter, was officially activated from the 60-day injured list, where he had been since April with a right forearm flexor injury. Pivetta will start Monday's series opener against the Washington Nationals. Pivetta's return was a bit surprising considering just a month ago, he walked off the mound in his first rehab outing, thinking he had aggravated his injury. But it was only a temporary setback and he made two more rehab appearances and pitched a bullpen over thr week, with the Padres deciding Pivetta was ready to come back. Brito had been called up Tuesday with rookie catcher Ethan Salas when rosters expanded from 26 to 28. He appeared in two games last week, going 3⅔ innings, allowing one run. Hunt made his MLB debut for the Padres following injuries to Freddy Fermin and Luis Campusano in June, playing in two games and going 0-for-3. He is a Costa Mesa native who was drafted by the Padres after the second round in the Competitive Balance B round out of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana. View full rumor

San Diego Padres Weekly Snapshot Record last week: 3-3 Runs scored last week: 19 Runs allowed last week: 21 (season run differential: plus-8) Scores Game 138 (Monday): Padres 5, Reds 0 Game 139 (Tuesday): Reds 4, Padres 3 Game 140 (Wednesday): Reds 7, Padres 3 Thursday: Off Game 141 (Friday): Padres 3, Yankees 2 Game 142 (Saturday): Yankees 5, Padres 1 Game 143 (Sunday): Padres 4, Yankees 3 Week in Review and Highlights Reds series Game 1: Coming off a tough series and even tougher ending to Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays, a road trip to Cincinnati was the perfect tonic for the Padres. Manny Machado went 4-for-5 and right-handed starter Michael King turning in six shutout innings, the Friars had a smooth 5-0 victory over the Reds to open the three-game series. Combined with the Arizona Diamondbacks' loss, the Padres moved back into the No. 3 NL wild-card spot, a half-game up on the D-Backs, and remained five games behind the Philadelphia Phillies, who are now tied with the Chicago Cubs for the top two NL wild-card positions. For Machado, it was his first four-hit game of the season and 26th of his career. He doubled and was the foundation of an offense that produced 15 hits. Even with that number of hits, it was one big inning that the Padres relied on for this win. The Friars began the top of the fourth inning with six consecutive hits, five singles, to score four runs. Xander Bogaerts had the biggest hit of the inning with a two-run double. Ty France had three hits, while Jackson Merrill, Dustin Harris and Luis Campusano each had a pair. They added a run in the seventh as Fernando Tatis Jr. had a leadoff double and scored on France's two-out single. While the offense took care of business, so did King, although not quite in the fashion you think of when you hear he had six shutout innings. The Reds had multiple baserunners in each of the first three innings and a potential home run robbery in the third by Merrill in center field. King retired all six batters over the fourth and fifth before more trouble appeared in the sixth with another pair of runners. However, none of those runners scored. King would finish with four hits and three walks allowed as well as six strikeouts, notching his fifth straight quality start and career-high 15th this season. Game 2: The day began with excitement over the promotion of Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect, catcher Ethan Salas, but ended with a disappointing loss. While Salas wasn't available to start due to travel delays (he arrived in the third inning), the Padres misfired again with runners in scoring position, going 0-for-10, and surrendering two eighth-inning runs in a 4-3 loss to the Reds, their sixth setback in eight games. The defeat didn't hurt the Padres in the NL wild-card standings, remaining a half-game up on the D'backs and five games behind the Cubs, who fell into the No. 2 spot with a loss and a Phillies win. Tatis had his third two-homer game of the season, including one in the ninth, but there were too many missed opportunities in this one. Driving in runners in scoring position has been a bit of an issue recently (11-for-71 in last eight games). Some RISP performances are worse than others. This one was definitely worse, as the Friars had runners in scoring position with less than two outs in the second, third and fourth innings, resulting in an 0-for-6 showing. That included Jase Bowen's leadoff triple in the third, then the bases eventually being loaded on a one-out hit by pitch and walk before France hit into a double play. Samad Taylor got the Padres off to a good start with a first-inning triple, scoring on Machado's sacrifice fly to right. The Reds, though, got that one back off Padres right-handed starter Randy Vasquez in the bottom of the first. Tatis then lined one barely over the right-field fence in the top of the fifth for a 2-1 Padres lead. Again, the Reds tied it in the bottom half. After the Padres again failed to produce a run in the seventh after a two-out Merrill double and walk, left-hander Adrian Morejon came on to begin the eighth and issued a leadoff walk to Elly De La Cruz and a single to rookie Sal Stewart after a groundout left runners on second and third, back catcher Jose Trevino singled home De La Cruz and rookie Juan Brito hit a sac fly to put the Reds up 4-2. Tatis tightened things up with his 19th homer of the season, but it came with two outs in the ninth. Vasquez was just OK. He worked 4⅔ innings, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk, while the Padres didn't do as much damage as they could have against Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo, who lasted six innings. Game 3: The conclusion of a six-game road trip against a sub-.500 team did not go well for the Friars. The Padres couldn't take advantage of an inexperienced pitcher making his first start coming off the injured list and Padres right-handed starter Casey Mize gave up a pair of homers in a 7-3 loss to the Reds. The Padres finished a six-game trip against the best team in the AL and the worst team in the NL Central with a 1-5 record. With the D'backs winning, the Padres swapped spots with Arizona and are now a half-game behind Arizona for the third and final NL wild-card berth. But losing the final two games against the Reds, especially as Salas made his MLB debut, was disappointing. Salas looked good defensively and went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts while hitting from the No. 6 spot. His first plate appearance resulted in a 390-foot fly ball to center field to end the bottom of the first. Mize went just four innings, allowing four runs on five hits and a walk with four strikeouts. He struggled with his command on a muggy getaway day where the first pitch in Ohio was at 9:40 a.m. California time. Two little-known Reds, Juan Brito and Hector Rodriguez, homered as part of a four-run third inning that erased a 3-0 Padres lead. JJ Bleday added a seventh-inning homer to cap the day's scoring, tot that it was needed. The Padres didn't do anything after the second inning, again struggling with runners in scoring position, going 1-for-7. The Friars' first two runs came in the first inning on France's 20th homer of the season, after Tatis' leadoff single. Tatis would have the only hit with a runner in scoring position, bringing in Austin Hays, who had doubled leading off the second. But that was it against left-handed starter Brandon Williamson, who had been out since April with a shoulder injury, and a rough Reds bullpen. Yankees series Game 1: The Campusano game. Even before he came up to the plate in the bottom of the 10th with the tying run on second, it was a pretty good game for Campusano. After enduring a trying year in 2025, stuck in Triple-A, Campusano has been pretty good behind the plate and doing nice things with the bat. But in the series opener vs. the New York Yankees, he put both together. After throwing out a career-best three would-be base stealers, Campusano crushed a two-run walk-off homer with one out to give the Padres a 3-2 victory over the Yankees. The win moved the Friars ahead of the D'backs, who lost, for the No. 3 NL wild-card spot. It also was a good bounce back from the bad vibes left following a 1-5 road trip. In a game dominated by pitching, someone was eventually going to come up with the big hit. Campusano, who had two of the Padres' six hits, did that when he turned on a middle-in sinker on the first pitch he saw and sent it to the front of the second deck in left. Combined with the caught stealings, Campusano became just the second player in the 75 years of tracking that stat to throw out three and hit a walk-off in Sammy Taylor of the Chicago Cubs in 1961. Campusano had never thrown out two, much less three in a single game before. As much credit as Campusano deserves, Padres pitchers should get the same. Behind a nice outing from right-handed starter Walker Buehler, going five innings, allowing one run on three hits and two walks while striking out six, his most since fanning seven over 5⅓ on July 26 vs. the Miami Marlins. Left-hander Yuki Matsui, right-hander Bradgley Rodriguez and Morejon each went a scoreless inning before superstar closer Mason Miller zipped through the ninth in a tie game on just nine pitches, an alternate version of an immaculate inning due to only having one strikeout. But the Yankees, with the ghost runner on in the 10th, jumped on Miller as rookie Spencer Jones, the Encinitas native who went to La Costa Canyon High School, lined a first-pitch four-seamer into center for an RBI single to put the Yankees up 2-1. Miller and Campusano combined for a double play as Miller struck out Heliot Ramos and Campusano nailed Jones trying to steal third. In the bottom of the 10th, Dustin Harris started as the zombie runner. Bogaerts struck out, bringing up Campusano. Sure, there were missteps by the Friars along the way in this one, but the bottom line was they didn't hurt like they did the previous weekend against the Tampa Bay Rays. They also came out victorious in a game started by a tough left-hander, Max Fried, after dropping their previous two games, both against southpaws. Game 2: Robbie Ray's walk issues caught up to him in this start. The Padres' left-hander issued three straight during a four-run second inning and four free passes overall in just 2⅓ innings as the Friars dropped a 5-1 decision to the Yankees. The Padres and D-Backs again flopped positions, with Arizona regaining the No. 3 NL wild-card spot. Ray needed just eight pitches to zip through a perfect first inning before things went sideways in the second. There, he needed 42 pitches to get three outs. He finished his seven-out start by allowing five runs, five hits and four walks while striking out one. Ray famously walks more than he should. His season high is seven and he has walked five or more four times in 28 games this year. The bullpen limited further damage. That was thanks to the work of right-hander Griffin Canning, who has found a nice role after being bumped from the starting rotation. Canning went 2⅔ shutout innings, allowing just one hit. Left-hander Wandy Peralta, right-hander David Morgan and right-hander Jhony Brito combined to finish the final four innings without allowing a run. But the Padres couldn't do much against Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon, who gave up a run on two hits over five innings, striking out seven and walking three. Machado provided the only offense, smacking his 25th homer of the season in the fourth inning. Outside of that, though, they managed just two other hits, with one coming from Hays as a pinch-hitter in the ninth. Salas made his Petco Park debut as a pinch-hitter for Freddy Fermin in the bottom of the sixth, striking out on three pitches against left-hander Brent Headrick, who came in to face the rookie. Salas stayed in at catcher before Hays hit for him in the ninth. Before the game, the Padres honored France for being the team's Heart and Hustle Award winner. Game 3: Boom! Boom! Boom! Just like that, the Padres had a 3-0 lead against one of the top pitchers in MLB. Tatis, Jake Cronenworth and Machado opened the bottom of the first inning with back-to-back-to-back home runs off right-hander Gerrit Cole that propelled the Friars to a 4-3 victory over the Yankees. With the D'backs also winning, the Padres, who won two of three vs. the Yankees, remained a half-game behind Arizona for the third and final NL wild-card spot entering the final three weeks. Tatis hit Cole's sixth pitch of the game, a knuckle curve, the opposite way to right for his 20th homer of the season. Four pitches later, Cronenworth sliced a four-seamer that bounced off the yellow-painted line on the Western Metal Supply Co. building for his first career opposite-field homer and his fifth this year. Machado added his 26th of the season five pitches later also on a four-seamer, his second in as many days. It was almost four in a row, but France flew out to the warning track in center. The Padres had quickly taken a 3-0 lead, perhaps inspired by the presence of new owners Jose E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones, who made their first public game appearance at Petco Park. It was just the 12th time in MLB history and second in Friars lore that a team opened a game with three consecutive homers. That would be enough for King, the former Yankee and good buddies with Cole. King turned in his sixth straight quality start and 16th this season by going six shutout innings, allowing four hits and three walks with three strikeouts. Rodriguez kept the shutout going in the seventh, with Campusano adding to the lead with his second homer of the weekend and seventh of the season in the bottom of the seventh for a 4-0 lead. But Morejon had issues in the eighth. The left-hander allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits and a walk with one strikeout. His shakiness had Miller ready to come in before Campusano threw out his fourth baserunner of the series and getting a lineout to end the inning. Miller did come on for the ninth, striking out three of the four batters he faced for his 33rd save of the season. Marvelous Mason Miller Some of the amazing stats for the Padres' closer: Season stats: 5-2, 1.19 ERA, 57 games, 33 saves (35 chances), 60⅓ IP, 29 H, 11 R, 8 ER, 21 BB, 111 K, .141 opponent average. Pitched two innings for just the second time as a Padre in Friday's walk-off win. In Friday's outing, allowed a run for the third straight game, the first time as a Padre and first since May 10-24, 2025, with the A's. Before Sunday, had appeared in three straight losses after a streak of 13 outings in wins. Random Stats Xander Bogaerts scored the 1,000th run of his career in Monday's game. He is one of 14 active players to reach that mark. Manny Machado's solo homer Saturday gave him 11 straight seasons (excluding pandemic-shortened 2020) with 25 or more home runs, the longest active stretch in MLB. The only other time the Padres had three consecutive homers to begin a game was April 13, 1987, when Marvell Wynne, Tony Gwynn and John Kruk did the deed in the home opener against the San Francisco Giants. The last time the Padres hit three straight homes was Sept. 18, 2024, vs. the Houston Astros with Fernando Tatis Jr., Machado and Donovan Solano. Sunday marked the 59th sellout at Petco Park in 71 home games. Padres Transactions Tuesday: Selected the contract of C Ethan Salas from Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas. Tuesday: Recalled RHP Jhony Brito from Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas. Tuesday: Transferred LF Luis Rengifo (torn right ACL) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. Website Highlights Padres promote No. 1 prospect Ethan Salas to make MLB debut — Steve Drumwright King has relentlessly proven he should be Padres' Game 1 starter in playoffs — Yirsandy Rodriguez NL playoff picture: Gauging Padres' best paths to October — N.B. Lindberg Padres' Buehler is still elite at handling high-pressure situations — Yirsandy Rodriguez Salas proves to be a rare developmental win for Padres — Steve Drumwright Looking Ahead Monday: Nationals at Padres (Nick Pivetta), 2:10 p.m. Tuesday: Nationals at Padres (Casey Mize), 6:40 p.m. Wednesday: Nationals at Padres (Walker Buehler), 1:10 p.m. Thursday: Off. Friday: Padres at Giants (Robbie Ray), 7:15 p.m. Saturday: Padres at Giants (Michael King), 1:05 p.m. Sunday: Padres at Giants (Randy Vasquez), 4:20 p.m. View full article

The final day of the season in which all four San Diego Padres full-season affiliates turned into only three playing due to some bad weather. The Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas blanked Las Vegas 7-0, the Double-A San Antonio Missions fell to Midland 5-1, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps finished their season with a 10-3 win in 11 innings and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm had their regular-season finale canceled due to wet grounds. Padres Minor-League Transactions None. Chihuahuas Notch First Shutout Of Season For the first time this season, the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas have thrown a shutout. And it came against the best offense in baseball. Right-hander Evan Fitterer and three relievers combined on a six-hitter as the host Chihuahuas blanked the Las Vegas Aviators 7-0. The Chihuahuas (56-82, 21-42 second half), who have two weeks left in their season, split the six-game series. Facing an Aviators team that has scored the most runs and has the most hits of anyone in the pro baseball (yes, including MLB), Fitterer allowed just a walk while striking out three over four hitless innings, while right-hander Logan Gillaspie went two hitless innings with no walks or strikeouts. Right-hander Daison Acosta took over in the seventh and got the first two outs before the no-hit bid ended on a double. Acosta would allow two more hits in the eight, with no walks or strikeouts. MLB veteran Jose Leclerc came on for the ninth, dancing around three hits and a walk thanks to a double play to secure the shutout. The Chihuahuas entered the game with the second-worst team ERA in all of baseball. It is now 6.38. Will Wagner, who had two hits, hit a three-run homer, while Nick Solak went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Carlos Rodriguez went 2-for-4, including his eighth triple (third in the Pacific Coast League), with an RBI and two runs scored. Wagner's three-run blast, his ninth of the season, came in the fifth inning. EP_0906.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Mason McCoy, CF 4 1 0 0 1 0 Nick Solak, 1B 4 1 3 1 0 0 Carlos Rodríguez, RF 4 2 2 1 0 2 Marcos Castañon, DH 4 1 1 1 0 1 Nick Pratto, LF 4 0 1 1 0 1 Will Wagner, 2B 4 1 2 3 0 0 Rodolfo Durán, C 3 0 0 0 1 1 Gage Workman, SS 3 0 0 0 1 1 Clay Dungan, 3B 3 1 0 0 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Evan Fitterer 4 0 0 0 1 3 0 Logan Gillaspie 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Daison Acosta 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 José Leclerc 1 3 0 0 1 0 0 Missions Stumble In Home Finale The Double-A San Antonio Missions completed their home schedule with a 5-1 loss to the Midland RockHounds. The Missions (58-74, 27-36 second half), who travel to Amarillo to finish the season, split the series 3-3. Braedon Karpathios (Padres Mission's No. 9 prospect) capped a huge week with two more hits, finishing the series 14-for-23 with two homers and 13 RBIs. Albert Fabian went 2-for-4, but the Missions had just six hits. Karpathios and Fabian each had a double. The Missions' lone run came in the sixth as Oswaldo Linares had a leadoff walk, a passed ball sent him to second and a Karpathios flyball sent him to third. After a walk to Alex McCoy (Padres Mission's No. 8 prospect), Romeo Sanabria hit a sacrifice fly. Missions left-handed starter Jamie Hitt allowed three runs on five hits and four walks while punching out six over five innings. Left-hander Harry Gustin gave up two runs over two innings, while right-handers Johan Moreno and Francisco Pena each had a scoreless inning. SA_0906.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Braedon Karpathios, CF 3 0 2 0 1 0 Alex McCoy, RF 3 0 0 0 1 2 Romeo Sanabria, 1B 3 0 0 1 0 1 Albert Fabian, DH 4 0 2 0 0 1 Jack Costello, LF 4 0 1 0 0 0 Ryan Jackson, 2B 3 0 1 0 1 1 Justin DeCriscio, SS 4 0 0 0 0 1 Luis Verdugo, 3B 3 0 0 0 0 1 Oswaldo Linares, C 2 1 0 0 1 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jamie Hitt 5 5 3 3 4 6 1 Harry Gustin 2 2 2 2 0 4 1 Johan Moreno 1 2 0 0 1 2 0 Francis Peña 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 TinCaps End With A Flurry, Score 7 On 2 Homers In 11th A tough second half of the season ended with a thrilling victory for the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps, who scored seven runs in the top of the 11th for a 10-3 victory over the host Lansing Lugnuts. The TinCaps finished the season at 56-74, including 29-35 in the second half, winning their final three games to take four of six in the series. The TinCaps took fourth in the Midwest League's East Division in the second half. Rosman Verdugo delivered the biggest blow of the 11th with a grand slam, his 15th homer of the season. Yimy Tovar hit his first High-A homer as part of a 3-for-4 game with two runs scored, hitting a three-run shot that snapped the tie in the 11th. The TinCaps forced extra innings as Dylan Grego tripled with one out in the ninth, scoring Yoiber Ocopio, who had a leadoff single. The Lugnuts held a 2-0 lead when the TinCaps tied it in the seventh. Ocopio had a one-out single and Tovar had his first High-A double to make it 2-1. Tovar, who went to third on his double after a throwing error by the catcher, scored on Grego's groundout to first. The TinCaps used six pitchers in their season finale, with right-hander Jack Pineau, an undrafted free agent out of Creighton, going the final three innings to earn his first professional victory in his fifth game. FW1_0906.mp4 FW2_0906.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Kasen Wells, CF 4 0 0 0 1 0 Ryan Gerety, LF 4 1 2 0 2 0 Rosman Verdugo, DH 6 1 1 4 0 2 Kerrington Cross, 3B 5 0 0 0 1 3 Lamar King Jr., C 3 0 0 0 0 1 Luke Cantwell, 1B 3 1 0 0 0 0 Yoiber Ocopio, C 5 3 3 0 0 1 Yimy Tovar, SS 4 2 3 3 1 0 Dylan Grego, 2B 5 1 2 2 0 0 Conner Westenburg, RF 5 1 1 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Carson Montgomery 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Brandon Langley 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 Sean Barnett 1 2/3 3 2 2 1 2 0 Will Koger 1 1/3 2 0 0 0 1 0 Jeferson Villabona 2 0 1 0 2 1 0 Jack Pineau 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 Storm Regular-Season Finale Canceled; Playoffs Start Tuesday Due to wet grounds following a big overnight storm, the final game of the regular season between the host Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm and the Inland Empire 66ers was canceled. The Storm (66-65, 27-38 second half) won four of the five games in the series. While finishing last in the second half of the California League's South Division, the Storm won the first-half championship and will face the second-half winner, the Ontario Tower Buzzers, in the best-of-three league semifinals. Game 1 is Tuesday in Ontario, with Game 2 on Thursday in Lake Elsinore and Game 3, if necessary, also at The Diamond. Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 0-for-3, 1 K Ryan Wideman: On injured list Coleman Borthwick: In Arizona Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ty Harvey: DNP Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Jorge Quintana: DNP Alex McCoy: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K Braedon Karpathios: 2-for-3, 2B, BB Lamar King Jr.: 0-for-3, K Elliot Lascelles: DNP Tucker Musgrove: On injured list Jagger Haynes: DNP Jake Cunningham: DNP Truitt Madonna: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Winyer Chourio: DNP Jesus Castro: DNP Michael Salina: On injured list Rosman Verdugo: 1-for-6, HR, 4 RBI, 2 K View full article

Just over a month ago, Nick Pivetta walked off the mound in Lake Elsinore, looking like his season might be over. Now, the right-hander is set to rejoin the San Diego Padres for the final three weeks of the regular season. Pivetta will be activated from the 60-day injured list and start Monday's game against the Washington Nationals at Petco Park, manager Craig Stammen said following Sunday's 4-3 victory over the New York Yankees. Right-hander Randy Vasquez will move to a relief role, perhaps piggybacking Pivetta on Monday. The Padres will have to make moves regarding the 26- and 40-man rosters to accommodate Pivetta's return. One possibility on the 26-man roster would be sending right-hander Jhony Brito back to Triple-A El Paso, while designated hitter Miguel Andujar could be transferred to the 60-day IL. The 33-year-old has been out since mid-April with a strained right flexor in his right elbow. After being sidelined for a lengthy period, he began a rehab assignment Aug. 4 with fellow right-handed starter Joe Musgrove at Low-A Lake Elsinore. Musgrove started and his outing went well, but Pivetta walked off the mound after throwing his 14th pitch, saying that his elbow didn't feel right. However, he did throw about 30 pitches in a bullpen session that day, a good sign. But he returned a couple weeks later, making one start for Lake Elsinore and then one last weekend for Triple-A El Paso and looked good. Everyone involved in the process decided that if Pivetta came out of Saturday's bullpen session feeling good that he would start against the Nationals. View full rumor

The San Diego Padres' four full-season affiliates went 3-1 Saturday, with the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas beating Las Vegas 9-7, the Double-A San Antonio Missions falling to Midland 10-2, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps dropping Lansing 4-1 and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm walking off Inland Empire 8-6 in 10 innings. Padres Minor-League Transactions None. Mason McCoy Has 3 Hits, 3 RBIs In Chihuahuas' Victory Mason McCoy went 3-for-5 with three RBIs, two on a single that capped a four-run third inning, as the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas turned back the Las Vegas Aviators 9-7. McCoy had a triple among his three hits while scoring a run, while Nick Solak went 3-for-5 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored and Nick Pratto was 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI and run scored. Chihuahuas right-handed starter Sean Boyle was solid, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts over five innings. He earned his 10th win of the season, second in the Pacific Coast League and the first Chihuahua to do so since three did it in 2019. Former Padres right-hander Brent Honeywell had his first scoreless appearance in three outings with the Chihuahuas following his March release from the San Francisco Giants, striking out two. Right-hander Alek Jacob then was tagged for four runs in the seventh inning before right-hander Hunter Stratton had another standout appearance with two scoreless innings. The Chihuahuas were down 3-2 when they scored four runs in the bottom of the third inning. Solak and Pratto had singles to begin the inning with an error by the center fielder allowing the runners to go to second and third. Marcos Castanon's ground single to left tied the game, then Will Wagner drove Pratto home with a line single to left. After a sacrifice bunt by Victor Duarte and lineout by Bryce Johnson, McCoy singled Castanon and Wagner home for a 6-3 edge. McCoy had a leadoff single in the sixth, stole second and third, giving him a PCL-best 36 this year, then Solak and Pratto had back-to-back doubles to make it 8-3. The Aviators scored four in the top of the seventh to pull within 8-7, the Chihuahuas created a little breathing room when Wagner had a leadoff walk and, with two outs, McCoy hit an opposite-field triple to right-center. EP_0905.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Mason McCoy 5 1 3 3 0 0 Gage Workman 5 1 1 0 0 0 Carlos Rodríguez 3 1 1 0 2 0 Nick Solak 5 2 3 2 0 2 Nick Pratto 5 1 3 1 0 0 Marcos Castañon 4 1 1 1 0 1 Will Wagner 2 2 1 2 2 0 Blake Hunt 1 0 0 0 0 0 Victor Duarte 2 0 0 0 0 2 Bryce Johnson 4 0 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Sean Boyle 5 5 3 3 2 3 0 Brent Honeywell 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 Alek Jacob 1 4 4 4 1 2 1 Hunter Stratton 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 Missions Can't Handle Early Burst By RockHounds Alex McCoy, Jack Costello and Albert Fabian each had two hits, but the host San Antonio Missions gave up a pair of big innings, including three in the first, in a 10-2 loss to the Midland RockHounds. Missions right-handed starter Eric Yost, Padres Mission's No. 16 prospect, gave up four runs in four innings on five hits and two walks while striking out six. Right-hander Bernard Jose then allowed six runs (four earned) in two innings. After those three runs in the first, the RockHounds got one in the third, four in the fifth and two in the sixth. Fabian had two doubles, but he, McCoy and Costello had six of the Missions' seven hits. Romeo Sanabria had the other hit, a third-inning double that scored McCoy, Padres Mission's No. 8 prospect who had singled and went to second after Tirso Ornelas was hit by a pitch. Costello scored the other run, getting a one-out single in the sixth and scoring on Fabian's 18th double of the season, an opposite-field shot down the third-base line. SA_0905.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Kai Roberts 3 0 0 0 1 1 Alex McCoy 4 1 2 0 0 1 Tirso Ornelas 3 0 0 0 0 0 Romeo Sanabria 4 0 1 1 0 1 Jack Costello 4 1 2 0 0 0 Albert Fabian 4 0 2 1 0 0 Justin DeCriscio 3 0 0 0 0 1 Ryan Jackson 4 0 0 0 0 1 Anthony Vilar 2 0 0 0 2 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Eric Yost 4 5 4 4 2 6 0 Bernard Jose 2 5 6 4 2 2 1 Igor Gil 2 2 0 0 1 0 0 Wyatt Hoffman 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Kerrington Cross Has Triple Doubles To Send TinCaps Past Lugnuts Kerrington Cross had three doubles as part of a 4-for-4, two-RBI night and right-handed starter Winyer Chourio spun five shutout innings in his final start of the season as the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps toppled the host Lansing Lugnuts 4-1. The TinCaps finish their season Sunday. Chourio, Padres Mission's No. 17 prospect, struck out six while allowing three hits and four walks. Barring a trip back to Low-A Lake Elsinore for the playoffs, Chourio will end his season as the system leader in strikeouts with 122. He could be passed by two pitchers at higher levels (Jagger Haynes has 112 and Ian Koenig has 110). Left-hander Javier Chacon struck out six in three shutout innings, while right-hander Will Varmette allowed a run in the ninth. The TinCaps scored in four innings. Cross doubled leading off the second, went to third on Luke Cantwell's single and was thrown out at the plate on Dylan Grego's grounder to first. Conner Westenburg hit a grounder to third that was booted, allowing Cantwell to score. Ryan Gerety singled to start the third and, after stealing second and going to third on an errant throw, scored on Cross' second double of the game. With two outs in the fifth, fourth-round draft choice Robbie Lavey doubled. Lavey was injured on the play and replaced by pinch-runner Carlos Rodriguez. Cross then singled Rodriguez home for a 3-0 lead. Yoiber Ocopio led off the six with a single, went to second on a groundout and third on a wild pitch. One out later, Ocopio scored when Wells' two-out grounder to short was thrown away. FW_0905.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Kasen Wells 5 0 0 0 0 0 Ryan Gerety 4 1 1 0 1 1 Rosman Verdugo 5 0 0 0 0 2 Robbie Lavey 3 0 1 0 0 1 Carlos Rodriguez 1 1 0 0 0 1 Kerrington Cross 4 0 4 2 0 0 Luke Cantwell 3 1 1 0 1 0 Yoiber Ocopio 4 1 1 0 0 1 Dylan Grego 4 0 0 0 0 0 Conner Westenburg 4 0 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Winyer Chourio 5 3 0 0 4 6 0 Javier Chacon 3 2 0 0 2 6 0 Will Varmette 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 Joe Tiroly Mashes Again For Storm, Hits Walk-Off HR In 10th Joe Tiroly's magical pro debut went to another level as the seventh-round draft pick hit a walk-off two-run homer leading off the 10th inning as the host Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm rallied for an 8-6 victory over the Inland Empire 66ers. The Storm wrap up the regular season Sunday before playing in the California League postseason as a result of winning the South Division in the first half. Augie Lopez, the Padres' 10th-round draft pick, tied the game with a ninth-inning homer, while Jorge Quintana, Padres Mission's No. 7 prospect, hit a monstrous shot and had two hits, as did 11th-rounder Chris McHugh. Storm right-handed starter Tyler Schmitt struck out five and allowed one run in three innings, while fifth-round right-hander James Guyette allowed three runs (two earned) over two innings in his second pro game. Right-hander Tyler Pitzer, an undrafted free agent, allowed two runs over 1⅓ innings. Right-hander Jordan Valenzuela pitched 1⅔ perfect innings with two strikeouts, while left-hander Andrew Wright, also an undrafted free agent, got the win with two perfect innings, fanning two. The Storm trailed 6-4 after the 66ers scored twice in the top of the seventh. Dawson Willis and Lopez drew walks to begin the inning, but Lopez was erased on the back end of a double steal. Qrey Lott grounded out to second base with Willis scoring to pull the Storm within 6-5. Lopez then hit his second homer in 13 pro games on the first pitch with one out in the ninth, a shot to right-center. With sixth-rounder Nu'u Contrades as the zombie runner on second, Tiroly, who hit four homers in three games last weekend, crushed a mammoth walk-off homer over the shed beyond the wall in left-center, his seventh homer in 17 games. LE1_0905.mp4 LE2_0905.mp4 LE3_0905.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Chris McHugh 5 0 2 0 0 2 Jose Verdugo 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nu'u Contrades 4 1 0 0 1 0 Joe Tiroly 5 1 1 2 0 0 Jorge Quintana 4 2 2 1 0 0 Ty Harvey 4 0 0 0 0 2 Jesmaylin Arias 4 1 1 0 0 2 Dawson Willis 3 1 0 1 1 1 Augie Lopez 3 1 1 1 1 1 Qrey Lott 3 1 1 1 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Tyler Schmitt 3 3 1 1 4 5 0 James Guyette 2 4 3 2 1 0 0 Tyler Pitzer 1 1/3 4 2 2 1 1 0 Jordan Valenzuela 1 2/3 0 0 0 0 2 0 Andrew Wright 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas, C: 0-for-1, K Ryan Wideman, CF: On injured list Coleman Borthwick, RHP: In Arizona Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP: DNP Ty Harvey, C: 0-for-4, 2 K Kale Fountain, OF: Injured, out for season Jorge Quintana, SS: 2-for-4, HR, RBI, 2 R Alex McCoy, LF: 2-for-4, R, K Braedon Karpathios, RF: DNP Lamar King Jr., C: DNP Elliot Lascelles, SS: DNP Tucker Musgrove, RHP: On injured list Jagger Haynes, LHP: DNP Jake Cunningham, OF: DNP Truitt Madonna, C: DNP Eric Yost, RHP: 4 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K Winyer Chourio, RHP: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 6 K Jesus Castro, RHP: DNP Michael Salina, RHP: On injured list Rosman Verdugo, SS: 0-for-5, 2 K View full article

The four full-season affiliates of the San Diego Padres went 3-1 on Friday with the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas falling to Las Vegas 8-5, the Double-A San Antonio Missions rallied past Midland 8-7, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps beat Lansing 8-6 and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm rolled past Inland Empire 12-3. Padres Minor-League Transactions None. Two Solo HRs Not Enough For Chihuahuas Bryce Johnson and Nick Solak homered, but the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas gave up three runs in the sixth that proved to be the difference in an 8-5 loss to the Las Vegas Aviators. Johnson, Solak, Mason McCoy and Will Wagner each had two hits for the Chihuahuas, with Johnson drawing the team's only walk. Johnson also had two RBIs. Chihuahuas left-handed starter Jagger Haynes (Padres Mission's No. 13 prospect) allowed four runs in just 2⅓ innings on eight hits and a walk with two strikeouts. Solak hit a solo homer in the second inning, his 16th of the season, while Johnson hit his solo shot in the seventh, his second of the year. Trailing 4-1 entering the bottom of the fourth, the Chihuahuas tied it as Rodolfo Duran brought in a run when he reached on an error, then Clay Dungan and Johnson had RBI singles. But the RockHounds regained control with a three-run sixth and another in the seventh. EP1_0904.mp4 EP2_0904.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Mason McCoy, SS 5 0 2 0 0 2 Gage Workman, LF 5 0 0 0 0 0 Carlos Rodríguez, DH 4 0 1 0 0 1 Nick Solak, RF 4 1 2 1 0 1 Nick Pratto, 1B 4 1 1 0 0 1 Will Wagner, 2B 4 1 2 0 0 0 Rodolfo Durán, C 4 1 0 0 0 2 Clay Dungan, 3B 4 0 1 1 0 1 Bryce Johnson, CF 3 1 2 2 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jagger Haynes 2 1/3 8 4 4 1 2 0 Garrett Hawkins 2 1/3 1 0 0 1 3 0 J.P. France 1 1/3 3 3 3 1 3 0 Hans Crouse 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 Ty Adcock 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 José Leclerc 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 Braedon Karpathios Has 4 More RBIs, 2 In 8th, As Missions Win Braedon Karpathios continued his RBI binge by driving in four, with his two-run single in the eighth the host Double-A San Antonio Missions squeaked past the Midland RockHounds 8-7. Karpathios (Padres Mission's No. 9 prospect) has had two four-RBI games and one five-RBI performance in the first four games of this season. He was already the Missions' RBI leader, but now has 13 of his 73 this week. Karpathios had two doubles as part of his three-hit game. Tirso Ornelas had two hits, including a homer, and two RBIs for the Missions, who trailed 6-1 after the top of the fifth. Missions left-handed starter Fernando Sanchez allowed four runs over 3⅔ innings on six hits and three walks with a pair of strikeouts. Right-hander Sadrac Franco gave up two runs in 1⅓ innings, while right-hander Carlos Medina pitched two scoreless innings in his Double-A debut after also pitching at Low-A Lake Elsinore and High-A Fort Wayne this year. Right-hander Josh Mallitz gave up a run in two innings. Down 6-1 entering the bottom of the fifth, the Missions scored four times. Karpathios drove in two with his 20th homer of the season, then Brendan Durfee scored on a wild pitch and Ornelas' 32nd double of the year brought in Karpathios. Romeo Sanabria tied the game with an RBI single with two outs in the seventh that scored Karpathios. The RockHounds pushed across a run in the top of the seventh, then the Missions went to work in the bottom half. With one out, Luis Verdugo and Wyatt Hoffman singled, prompting a pitching change. Alex McCoy (Padres Mission's No. 8 prospect) walked to load the bases, setting up Karpathios' single to right through a drawn-in infield, with Verdugo scoring easily and Hoffman diving headfirst to beat the throw home with the go-ahead run. Mallitz worked around a walk and a single to finish this one off. SA_0904.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Braedon Karpathios, CF 5 2 3 4 0 1 Albert Fabian, RF 5 0 0 0 0 3 Tirso Ornelas, LF 5 1 2 2 0 0 Romeo Sanabria, DH 2 0 1 1 1 1 Kai Roberts, DH 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ryan Jackson, 3B 4 0 0 0 0 1 Jack Costello, 1B 4 0 0 0 0 1 Luis Verdugo, SS 3 2 2 0 1 0 Wyatt Hoffman, 2B 4 2 2 0 0 2 Brendan Durfee, C 2 1 0 0 1 1 Alex McCoy, PH 0 0 0 0 1 0 Anthony Vilar, C 0 0 0 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Fernando Sanchez 3 2/3 6 4 4 3 2 0 Sadrac Franco 1 1/3 4 2 2 0 1 0 Carlos Medina 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 Josh Mallitz 2 4 1 1 1 1 0 Carlos Rodriguez Homers, Has 3 Hits, 3 RBIs In TinCaps' Triumph Carlos Rodriguez went 3-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs as the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps used early offense to produce an 8-6 victory over the host Lansing Lugnuts. Rodriguez also had a walk and scored twice, reaching base in all four of his plate appearances, during his second three-hit performance in his last three games. Luke Cantwell went 2-for-3 with a walk and three runs scored, while Lamar King Jr. (Padres Mission's No. 10 prospect) had two hits, an RBI and a run scored for the TinCaps. The TinCaps used three right-handed pitchers going three innings each. Nick Falter made his first start in 39 games of his debut season, allowing two runs (one earned) on just one hit with two walks and three strikeouts. Isaiah Lowe also gave up a pair of runs on six hits and three walks with two strikeouts and Miguel Alvarez also allowed two runs on six hits and a walk with two strikeouts. Alvarez earned his first save at the High-A level after having two last year in the Dominican Summer League. He has pitched for four teams this year: DSL, Arizona Complex League, Low-A Lake Elsinore and the TinCaps. Rodriguez's homer was a two-run shot with two outs in the top of the second inning, his seventh of the season bringing home Cantwell, who had doubled with one out. Ryan Gerety and Rosman Verdugo had back-to-back doubles in the third to put the TinCaps up 3-1. They made it 6-2 in the fourth when Rodriguez singled home Cantwell, then scored along with King when Kasen Wells reached on a throwing by the third baseman. Two more runs were added when Kerrington Cross and Cantwell walked with one out and King had an RBI single. After Rodriguez walked to load the bases, Dylan Grego grounded into a run-scoring forceout. FW_0904.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Kasen Wells, CF 4 0 1 0 1 1 Ryan Gerety, LF 4 1 1 0 1 1 Rosman Verdugo, SS 5 0 1 1 0 2 Kerrington Cross, 3B 3 1 0 0 2 2 Luke Cantwell, 1B 3 3 2 0 1 0 Lamar King Jr., DH 4 1 2 1 0 2 Carlos Rodriguez, C 3 2 3 3 1 0 Dylan Grego, 2B 4 0 0 1 0 0 Conner Westenburg, RF 4 0 0 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Nick Falter 3 1 2 1 2 3 0 Isaiah Lowe 3 6 2 2 3 2 0 Miguel Alvarez 3 6 2 2 1 2 0 Jorge Quintana, Dawson Willis Have Inside-The-Park HRs In Storm Win Jorge Quintana and Dawson Willis each hit inside-the-park homers and drove in three runs, while Ty Harvey also had three RBIs as the host Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm cruised to a 12-3 win over the Inland Empire 66ers. Storm left-handed starter Kruz Schoolcraft (Padres Mission's No. 4 prospect) went five innings, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks with three strikeouts. Left-hander Adler Cecil struck out five over 2⅔ innings, giving him 107 this year in 61⅔ innings. He allowed one run on three hits and walked two. Harvey (Padres Mission's No. 5 prospect) went 3-for-5 with a run scored, while Quintana and Willis each had two hits, with Quintana scoring twice. Fourth-round draft pick Alex Conover had two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored, while Jose Verdugo had two hits and two runs scored. Eighth-round draft pick Sean Fitzpatrick struck out four in 1⅓ shutout innings in the best of his three pro outings, allowing two hits. The Storm jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first as Conver had an RBI single and Quintana slapped an opposite-field grounder inside the third-base line and down into the corner, where it got past the left fielder, allowing Quintana to score standing up for his eighth homer this year. Conover scored on the play. With one out in the fourth, Willis hit a deep fly ball that bounced off the wall in left and ricocheted back toward the infield. Willis slowed down coming around third but was waved home, diving in headfirst with his sixth homer of the season for a 4-2 lead. The Storm got four more in the fifth as Harvey had an RBI single, Quintana scored on a wild pitch and Willis had a two-run double. Harvey added a two-run single in the sixth to make it 10-2, then Conover had a run-scoring double and Quintana an RBI single in the eighth. LE1_0904.mp4 LE2_0904.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Elliot Lascelles, SS 4 2 1 0 0 1 Jose Verdugo, SS 3 2 2 0 1 0 Nu'u Contrades, 2B 1 1 1 0 0 0 Alex Conover, LF 5 2 2 2 0 1 Jorge Quintana, 3B 3 2 2 3 2 0 Ty Harvey, DH 5 1 3 3 0 2 Jesmaylin Arias, RF 4 1 0 0 0 1 Joe Tiroly, RF 1 0 0 0 0 0 Dawson Willis, 1B 4 1 2 3 0 1 Truitt Madonna, C 4 0 0 0 0 3 Qrey Lott, CF 3 0 0 0 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Kruz Schoolcraft 5 3 2 2 3 3 0 Adler Cecil 2 2/3 3 1 1 2 5 0 Sean Fitzpatrick 1 1/3 2 0 0 0 4 0 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas, C: DNP Ryan Wideman, CF: On injured list Coleman Borthwick, RHP: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K Ty Harvey, C: 3-for-5, 3 RBI, 2 K Kale Fountain, OF: Injured, out for season Jorge Quintana, SS: 2-for-3, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB Alex McCoy, LF: 0-for-0, BB Braedon Karpathios, RF: 3-for-5, 2 2B, 4 RBI, K Lamar King Jr., C: 2-for-4, RBI, 2 K Elliot Lascelles, SS: 1-for-4, K Tucker Musgrove, RHP: On injured list Jagger Haynes, LHP: 2⅓ IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K Jake Cunningham, OF: DNP Truitt Madonna, C: 0-for-4, 3 K Eric Yost, RHP: DNP Winyer Chourio, RHP: DNP Jesus Castro, RHP: DNP Michael Salina, RHP: On injured season Rosman Verdugo, SS: 1-for-5, 2B, RBI, 2 K View full article

The minor-league season is entering it final weeks, so some pitchers are having their innings curtailed while others are still building following injuries that might have gotten their seasons off the late starts. Here are the ones who stood out in August in the San Diego Padres' farm system. Ranking Padres' Best Minor-League Pitchers In August Honorable Mention: RHP Hunter Stratton, RHP, Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas August stats: 0-1, 1.54, 9 games (all relief), 0 saves (2 chances), 11⅔ IP, 11 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 7 BB, 12 K, .250 opponent average An under-the-radar acquisition at the trade deadline, the right-handed reliever was picked up in exchange for another promising reliever in right-hander Andrew Moore. Stratton has 62 games of MLB experience and would be an option if the Padres need an injury replacement in September. Stratton has been dealt twice this year, going to the Pirates from Atlanta for catcher Joey Bart. The 29-year-old has been very good since joining Triple-A El Paso, not allowing a run in his first seven appearances, before allowing one Wednesday and then three (one earned) Friday. He doesn’t put up big strikeout numbers (12 in 11⅔ innings) and did walk seven. Honorable Mention: RHP Josh Mallitz, Double-A San Antonio Missions August stats: 1-0, 2.45 ERA, 9 games (all relief), 2 saves (3 chances), 14⅔ IP, 12 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 6 BB, 13 K, .240 opponent average The 24-year-old right-hander continues to be one of the most consistent pitchers in the Padres’ system. An undrafted free agent who was signed out of Mississippi in 2024, Mallitz is usually good for multiple innings each time he takes the mound. Seven of his nine outings in August required getting more than three outs, with Mallitz going 2⅓ on Aug. 13. He has a just-above-average 26.4% strikeout rate for the season and his 10% walk rate is the highest of his three seasons. 3. Ian Koenig, RHP, Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas August stats: 2-1, 3.52 ERA, 5 games (all starts), 30⅔ IP, 25 H, 12 R, 12 ER, 5 BB, 26 K, .219 opponent average The right-handed starter made his Triple-A debut Friday in a month where he has logged the most innings of the season. The 25-year-old went five innings and allowed two runs against the Oklahoma City Comets in a 5-4 loss in a game that featured Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith going 0-for-3 on a rehab assignment. He got Smith to pop up, ground out and strike out. That was his shortest outing of August. His other four for Double-A San Antonio were all six innings or more, including seven shutout innings Aug. 11 against the Frisco RoughRiders. He gave up five hits and a walk while striking out four. It was the third time Koenig has made it through seven innings this season. He is the only Missions pitcher to make it seven innings. Koenig, an undrafted free agent who signed in 2022, was promoted after leading the Texas League in innings with 121⅓. One of his biggest issues is allowing home runs. Koenig has given up 20 in 126⅓ innings after allowing 17 in 103⅓ last year at High-A Fort Wayne. He went seven innings twice in 2025 and will finish this season around 150 innings depending on if he gets three or four starts in the final three weeks of the Triple-A season. His previous best was the 103⅓ from last year. 2. Brandon Langley, RHP, High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps August stats: 2-0, 2.57 ERA, 1 save (2 chances), 14 IP, 12 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 9 BB, 22 K, .235 opponent average In his first pro season since signing as an undrafted free agent last summer, the 21-year-old right-hander has been a solid reliever this season, with the usual bumps along the way. He spent the entire season at Low-A Lake Elsinore until getting promoted to High-A Fort Wayne last week. His first two outings with the TinCaps against the Great Lakes Loons were really good, both of the two-inning variety and facing just one over the minimum combined in the four innings. He struck out four in one game and three in the other, while not allowing a hit and walking one. The rest of his month wasn't shabby, either. In 10 games and 12 innings with the Storm, Langley allowed four runs on 12 hits and eight hits and 15 strikeouts. As with any first-year pro, he has had trouble with walks, putting up a 15.5% walk rate, though he's countered that with a nice 28.4% strikeout rate. With this being the last week of the TinCaps' season, Langley is likely to return to High-A next season following an offseason of working on what his coaches want him to adjust. 1. Adler Cecil, LHP, Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm August stats: 1-0, 3.38 ERA, 4 games (1 start), 13⅓ IP, 7 H, 11 R, 5 ER, 11 BB, 27 K, .149 opponent average A 19th-round draft choice in 2023 out of Temecula Valley High School, just down the road from Lake Elsinore, Cecil has certainly increased his visibility since coming up to the Storm at the end of July. The Padres have a love of young left-handers and Cecil certainly fits the bill. The 6-foot-4, 160-pounder has been handled with care as he comes back from Tommy John surgery, which took him out of the entire 2025 season. But since returning, he has been on fire. This month alone, he struck out 27 in just 13⅓ innings, a total that led the entire Padres system. He is tied for the third-most strikeouts in the pipeline for the season with 102 while his innings total (59) is much less than the two above him. That translates to a strikeout rate of 39.5%. While Adler doesn't (yet) have that type of velocity, Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Jacob Misiorowski is at 38.9% this year. In his most recent game, he struck out eight in 3⅔ innings against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. His other three outings had strikeout totals of six, seven and six while pitching 2⅔, four and three innings, respectively. He has reached five innings twice this season, both while in the Arizona Complex League, and twice struck out 10, once in five innings and the other in four. Adler was a project coming out of high school, with Baseball America ranking him as the No. 488 prospect (taken by the Padres with the 581st selection). He has two or maybe three appearances left this season depending on how the Storm do in the postseason after winning the California League's South Division first-half championship. They will play the Ontario Tower Buzzers, the second-half South champ, in the best-of-three semifinals next week. Cecil is likely to move up to High-A Fort Wayne next season. View full article

Yes, we know the caveat to this story. But still, this is what is going on as of now. The San Diego Padres will open Cactus League play against their Peoria Sports Complex co-tenant, the Seattle Mariners, on Feb. 19. That will technically be a road game. The Friars' first home game will be the next day against the Arizona Diamondbacks. All 30 MLB teams will play Feb. 19. Wrapping up Cactus League play, the Padres will host the Mariners on March 22. There will be one split-squad game, Feb. 26 against the two Chicago teams, at home vs. the Cubs and on the road against the White Sox (Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz.). Times will be announced at a later time as will report dates for pitchers and catchers as well as position players for workouts in Peoria, Ariz. The caveat, of course, is whether owners and the MLB Players Association will have agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement in time to have a normal spring training. In 2022, the two sides agreed to a new CBA on March 10, three weeks before the scheduled Opening Day. In 2027, Opening Day is scheduled for March 25, when the Padres are to take on the D'backs at Petco Park. This will be the first spring training for new owners Jose E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones. View full rumor

The San Diego Padres' four full-season affiliates went just 1-3 Thursday as the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas posted the only victory, a 9-3 decision over Las Vegas. The Double-A San Antonio Missions were shut out by Midland 3-0, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps bowed to Lansing 8-3 and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm tumbled to Inland Empire 11-1. Padres Minor-League Transactions El Paso Chihuahuas placed RHP Ethan Routzahn on the 7-day injured list. El Paso Chihuahuas activated DH Will Wagner from the temporarily inactive list. RHP Garrett Hawkins assigned to El Paso Chihuahuas from San Antonio Missions. San Antonio Missions activated C Oswaldo Linares from the Development List. RHP Carlos Medina assigned to San Antonio Missions from Fort Wayne TinCaps. Lake Elsinore Storm placed RHP Michael Salina on the 7-day injured list. LHP Jeronimo Palmeros assigned to Lake Elsinore Storm from ACL Padres. Gage Workman Drives In 4 As Chihuahuas Fly By Aviators Gage Workman went 3-for-4 with four RBIs, while Carlos Rodriguez and Blake Hunt also had three hits as the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas cruised to a 9-3 victory over the Las Vegas Aviators. Rodriguez and Nick Solak each drove in a pair of runs, while Hunt scored three times. Clay Dungan went 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored and Nick Pratto was on base three times with a single and two walks. Chihuahuas right-handed starter Ian Koenig, in his second Triple-A start, struck out a career-high eight over five innings, allowing three runs on three hits with two walks. Right-hander Logan Gillaspie fanned five over three shutout innings, allowing just one hit. Right-hander Hunter Stratton turned in another scoreless inning, his eighth in 10 games since being acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates at the trade deadline. The Chihuahuas combined to limit the RockHounds to four hits. Mason McCoy had a sacrifice fly and Workman an RBI single to put the Chihuahuas up 2-1 in the bottom of the second. They made it 6-1 in the fourth. Hunt had a leadoff single, Bryce Johnson walked and McCoy loaded the bases on a bunt single. Workman had a sac fly, Rodriguez an RBI single and Nick Solak a two-run single after Rodriguez's 20th steal of the season. After the RockHounds made it 6-3 in the fifth, Workman singled to begin the sixth and scored on Rodriguez's 18th double of the season. In the seventh, Dungan and Hunt singled, Johnson bunted both up a base and Workman drove both home with a single to center. EP_0903.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Mason McCoy, CF 4 1 2 1 0 0 Gage Workman, 2B 4 1 3 4 0 0 Carlos Rodríguez, RF 5 1 3 2 0 1 Nick Solak, DH 5 0 1 2 0 1 Nick Pratto, 1B 3 0 1 0 2 0 Marcos Castañon, 3B 5 0 0 0 0 0 Clay Dungan, SS 3 2 2 0 1 0 Blake Hunt, C 4 3 3 0 0 0 Bryce Johnson, LF 1 1 0 0 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Ian Koenig 5 3 3 3 2 8 1 Logan Gillaspie 3 1 0 0 0 5 0 Hunter Stratton 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Missions Blanked By RockHounds Despite matching in the hit column, the host Double-A San Antonio Missions dropped a 3-0 decision to the Midland RockHounds. The Missions were shut out for the ninth time this season. The difference was the Missions got three hits from Romeo Sanabria and two from the red-hot Braedon Karpathios (Padres Mission's No. 9 prospect) but only two from the rest of the lineup, while the RockHounds had six players contribute hits. Missions right-handed starter Abraham Parra gave up three runs (two earned) on three hits over five innings, walking three and striking out four. Right-hander Francisco Pena went two scoreless as did left-hander Harry Gustin, who struck out three. Player AB R H RBI BB K Braedon Karpathios, RF 3 0 2 0 1 0 Alex McCoy, LF 4 0 1 0 0 3 Albert Fabian, DH 3 0 0 0 1 1 Romeo Sanabria, 1B 4 0 3 0 0 0 Ryan Jackson, 2B 4 0 0 0 0 2 Jack Costello, 3B 4 0 1 0 0 0 Justin DeCriscio, SS 4 0 0 0 0 1 Kai Roberts, CF 4 0 0 0 0 2 Oswaldo Linares, C 3 0 0 0 0 3 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Abraham Parra 5 3 3 2 3 4 0 Francis Peña 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 Harry Gustin 2 2 0 0 0 3 0 Yoiber Ocopio Homers For TinCaps, Who Fall To Lugnuts Yoiber Ocopio hit his first High-A home run, but that was the lone highlight for the Fort Wayne TinCaps, who fell to the host Lansing Lugnuts 8-3. Ocopio staked the TinCaps to a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning, scoring Kerrington Cross, who singled leading off the inning. It was his first homer in 14 games with the TinCaps after hitting five in 66 games with the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm. TinCaps right-handed starter Bryan Balzer gave up five runs (three earned) on six hits and three walks and two strikeouts over 3⅓ innings. He gave up two runs in the third inning to tie the game and then three in the fourth. The RockHounds added three in the seventh against right-hander Jeferson Villabona. Meanwhile, right-hander Sean Barnett went 1⅔ scoreless innings with two strikeouts, while right-hander Will Varmette had 1⅓ scoreless with three punchouts. FW_0903.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Kasen Wells, CF 4 0 0 0 0 1 Ryan Gerety, LF 4 0 0 0 0 1 Rosman Verdugo, SS 2 0 1 0 2 0 Robbie Lavey, C 4 0 1 0 0 0 Kerrington Cross, 3B 3 1 1 0 1 1 Luke Cantwell, DH 4 0 0 0 0 2 Yoiber Ocopio, 1B 4 1 1 2 0 2 Yimy Tovar, 2B 4 0 0 0 0 1 Dylan Grego, RF 4 0 2 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Bryan Balzer 3 1/3 6 5 3 3 2 0 Sean Barnett 1 2/3 1 0 0 1 2 0 Jeferson Villabona 1 2/3 5 3 3 1 1 0 Will Varmette 1 1/3 0 0 0 0 3 0 Lan-Hong Su Dazzles With 9 K's, But Storm Pounded Right-handed starter Lan-Hong Su struck out nine over 4⅔ innings, but the host Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm didn't produce much offensively in an 11-1 loss to the Inland Empire 66ers. Jose Verdugo had two of the Storm's six hits, while seventh-round draft pick Joe Tiroly drove in the only run, an eighth-inning single that plated second-rounder Elliot Lascelles (Padres Mission's No. 11 prospect). Su, the 19-year-old touted international free agent, has had his two biggest strikeout games of his debut season in his last two starts. He followed up a seven-strikeout performance over three innings Aug. 27 vs. Rancho Cucamonga with two more against the 66ers. He only allowed one hit, a two-run homer to his last batter that broke up a scoreless game. Storm left-hander Rob Evans, the Padres' 12th-round draft choice, made his pro debut, giving up one unearned run in one inning on a hit and a walk with one strikeout. Left-hander Jeronimo Palmeros made his Storm debut after nine games in the Arizona Complex League, allowing three runs on a hit and four walks in one inning. Another player made his pro pitching debut. That was 10th-round draft choice Augie Lopez, a catcher who started the game as the designated hitter. Lopez got the final two outs in the top of the ninth and allowed a run. LE_0903.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Elliot Lascelles, SS 4 1 1 0 0 0 Nu'u Contrades, 1B 3 0 0 0 1 1 Joe Tiroly, 3B 3 0 1 1 1 1 Alex Conover, LF 4 0 0 0 0 1 Chris McHugh, RF 4 0 0 0 0 0 Jose Verdugo, 2B 3 0 2 0 0 0 Jesmaylin Arias, PH 1 0 0 0 0 1 Truitt Madonna, C 4 0 1 0 0 2 Augie Lopez, P 4 0 0 0 0 3 Dawson Willis, CF 3 0 1 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Lan-Hong Su 4 2/3 1 2 2 0 9 1 Yoesmerli Beltre 1/3 2 1 1 0 0 1 Rob Evans 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 Jeronimo Palmeros 1 1 3 3 4 0 0 Albert Roblez 1 1/3 3 3 3 2 3 0 Augie Lopez 2/3 1 1 1 2 0 0 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: DNP Ryan Wideman: On injured list Coleman Borthwick: In Arizona Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ty Harvey: DNP Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Jorge Quintana: DNP Alex McCoy: 1-for-4, 3 K Braedon Karpathios: 2-for-3, BB Lamar King Jr.: DNP Elliot Lascelles: 1-for-4, 2B, R Tucker Musgrove: On injured list Jagger Haynes: DNP Jake Cunningham: DNP Truitt Madonna: 1-for-4, 2 K Eric Yost: DNP Winyer Chourio: DNP Jesus Castro: DNP Michael Salina: On injured list Rosman Verdugo: 1-for-2, 2B, 2 BB View full article

As a result of president of baseball operations A.J. Preller's wheeling and dealing of prospects as if they were cotton candy at a birthday party, the San Diego Padres' minor-league system is the worst in MLB. Still, there have been some small wins for the Friars in recent years, though they're few and far between. Ethan Salas, however, is a huge victory. When Salas, Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect, was called up Tuesday as rosters expanded, then made his MLB debut Wednesday in a 7-3 road loss to the Cincinnati Reds, it was the culmination of a process that began several years ago with scouts watching a young Salas as he grew up in Florida. Because of his family ties to Venezuela, Salas qualified as an international free agent, which made him eligible to be signed as a 16-year-old. Salas was the top international free agent in the 2023 class due to his advanced defensive skills, including a rocket arm, and his ability to hit, including being a left-handed hitter. The Padres then signed Salas for what at the time was a record $5.6 million bonus. The rest of his story is well-known. He made his pro debut at Low-A Lake Elsinore two days before his 17th birthday while many other international free agents were playing in the Dominican Summer League, at least a year or two before coming to the U.S. Yet he was already playing in full-season ball. We know everything that happened after that, but you have to give credit to the Padres for identifying and landing a top talent, then developing him into a major-league player who made his debut as a 20-year-old. But this was one of the few developmental triumphs for the Padres. If you take a look at the current 40-man roster, there are only six other homegrown players. Five of them play significant roles with the team, including Jackson Merrill and right-handed reliever Bradgley Rodriguez. Merrill was the Padres' first-round draft choice in 2021 out of a Maryland high school as a shortstop who was shifted to center in spring training before he made his debut in 2024. Rodriguez was signed as an international free agent in 2021 out of Venezuela as a 17-year-old and worked his way up to making his debut in May 2025, going down after one game and coming back up for six September appearances and then being included on the postseason roster. The other four homegrown players on the 40-man roster are left-handed reliever Adrian Morejon (international, 2016), catcher Luis Campusano (second-round pick, 2016), right-handed reliever David Morgan (undrafted free agent, 2022) and right-handed reliever Alek Jacob (16th-round draft pick, 2021). All are in the majors except for Jacob, who is at Triple-A El Paso. To be fair, Preller has used many of those draft picks, international players and undrafted free agents in trades to improve the roster for a specific season. Also, they missed on some players, already releasing two players from the 2025 draft. Otherwise, the lack of a productive farm system has made the Padres reliant on signing veteran free agents, like third baseman Manny Machado and shortstop Xander Bogaerts, or finding someone on the transaction scrap heap, like first baseman Gavin Sheets, left fielder Luis Rengifo or outfielder Samad Taylor. But now with Salas making his debut and all of the celebration around his call-up, that should send a signal to Preller and the Padres. Fans identified with Salas early and watched him come up, riding the highs and the lows along with him. They could do the same with Kruz Schoolcraft and Coleman Borthwick, two high school pitchers taken in the first round the last two years. Raising these players to become major leaguers also helps with salary. As things currently stand, the first three years, a player makes a minimum salary, then has three years of arbitration. Of the 47 players on the Padres' 40-man roster (players on the 60-day injured list don't technically count), 15 are making some version of the minimum. Conversely, the Los Angeles Dodgers have 20 such players on their 40-man roster, which also has 47 players. I am not saying Preller should abandon his philosophy of trading prospects for MLB roster upgrades, but there can be some restraint. Was sending their five 2024 draft choices, including their second-, third- and fourth-round picks, in a six-player package for a rental first baseman (Ryan O'Hearn) and an average outfielder who had another year on his contract (Ramon Laureano) the right price or an overpay? It felt like a heavy price. Who knows if any of those players amount to much, but what did O'Hearn and Laureano contribute (Laureano's injury aside)? Certainly not anything worth the type of investment made in those prospects. Regardless, Salas' MLB debut Wednesday showed the type of payoff sticking with prospects can benefit a team. Otherwise, you'll be left digging for diamonds in the rough every year. View full article

It was a good month for hitters in the San Diego Padres' system, which always makes picking which players to highlight a good problem to have. Let's give flowers to those prospects most deserving from August. Ranking Padres' Best Minor-League Hitters In August Honorable mention: Dustin Harris, OF, Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas August stats: .390/.444/.634, 82 games, 17 R, 7 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 20 RBI, 7 BB, 7 K, 7 SB, 1 CS Before getting called up by the Padres, his third MLB team of the season, Harris was blazing hot. Should he be higher on this list? You could make the argument for that when a player hits .390 for 22 games before he got called up, but this is a pretty good list this month. Anyways, Harris has always had a good hit tool, but hasn't been able to stick on an MLB roster when given a chance. While off to a tremendous start with the Padres (8-for-18), he had a 20-for-88 (.227) mark before this in 38 games with the Texas Rangers, Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox. Honorable mention: Carlos Rodriguez, OF, Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas August stats: .341/.358/.516, 23 games, 11 R, 2 2B, 4 3B, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 3 BB, 9 K, 5 SB, 3 CS The light-hitting outfielder finished the month with a 12-game hitting streak that ended Sunday during which he hit .383. As the Chihuahuas' top hitter, he ranks fifth in the Pacific Coast League with 131 hits for the season and is fifth in the PCL with a .313 batting average. Rodriguez has hit four of his six homers in the last two months. 3. Ethan Salas, C, Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas August stats: .308/.378/.487, 21 games, 11 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 20 RBI, 10 BB, 7 K, 3 SB, 2 CS Farewell, sweet prince. While Salas' month wasn't as good as others on this list or others in the system, he gets this spot more as a recognition for his terrific season and, barring a catastrophe, the last time we can include Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect for any sort of weekly or monthly minor-league award article. The 20-year-old catcher's only full month at Triple-A was really good, as he hit three of his 10 homers on the season and only struck out seven times in 90 plate appearances. That's despite the fact that he was, on average, nearly seven years younger than the other players in the PCL. That includes pitchers with major-league experience who were either on rehab assignments or down for another reason. Salas has risen to the occasion in front of him, not fazed by the challenge. 2. Joe Tiroly, 2B-3B, Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm August stats: .308/.357/.673, 13 games, 7 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 6 HR, 10 RBI, 3 BB, 12 K, 0 SB, 1 CS Three weeks does not make a month (much less a career), but the seventh-round draft choice out of Virginia certainly has announced himself with authority to begin his pro career. Tiroly homered in his first game for Low-A Lake Elsinore then had a gap before hitting his second. But this last weekend, he mashed, hitting four homers in three games, including his first two-homer game. That gave him six bombs in his first 13 games. His pre-draft scouting report noted his fondness for pulling the ball and he has definitely shown that, but his blast Sunday went out to dead center off the batter's eye against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. His presence should be a boon for the Storm as they finish the regular season this week and then head into the postseason as a result of winning the California League's South Division in the first half. (They will face the Ontario Tower Buzzers, a Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate, in the semifinals.) 1. Braedon Karpathios, OF, Double-A San Antonio Missions August stats: .313/.394/.552, 24 games, 14 R, 8 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 20 RBI, 13 BB, 41 K, 0 SB, 2 CS No one truly knows why a player suddenly starts to perform better just because the calendar changes to a new month, but Padres Mission's No. 9 prospect certainly did that in August. Coming off a below-average June (.250/.347/.398) and a poor July (.218/.262/.397), the lefty-hitting outfielder started cranking out the hits again in August. He had 30 hits in the month after having 39 combined in the two months prior, including five of his 15 homers for the season. That has helped pull his season mark up to .249/.337/.413, which is on par with what he has done in his three previous full seasons. Another productive undrafted free agent, it wouldn't be surprising to see Karpathios return to Double-A San Antonio next season to see if he can build some consistency and perhaps raise his floor. He will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft this offseason, but it would be surprising for an MLB team to commit to putting him on the roster for a full season. View full article