Padres minor league update week #7

Fort Wayne shortstop Leo De Vries has gone cold in May while San Antonio catcher Brandon Valenzuela has taken advantage of the loss of Ethan Salas to show he shouldn’t be forgotten. San Diego Padres knuckleballer Matt Waldron has begun his rehab back from his right oblique injury with the Arizona Complex League Padres.

Relievers Harry Gustin and Tyson Neighbors are pushing for promotions. The ACL Padres first baseman Victor Figueroa is also excelling and could get an early promotion to a higher level.

El Paso Chihuahuas (22-21 record, 3rd PCL East Division)

The Chihuahuas have a winning record for the first time this season. Catcher Luis Campusano continues to massacre the baseball and has an 1.120 OPS with 10 HR. Outfielder Oscar Gonzalez is hitting .333/.368/.704 but it remains to be seen if he can bring his chase rate down and draw more walks.

Padres RHP Kyle Hart has pitched in three games for El Paso with a 1.84 ERA in 14.2 IP with 12 K but 11 BB.

Starter Jackson Wolf had a rough outing that raised his ERA to 3.38 in 10.2 IP. Relievers Davis Morgan (2.08 ERA) and Reiss Knehr (2.40 ERA) both look ready to help the big club if needed. Knehr has pitched only in late innings and has 8 saves in 15 IP.

Padres starter Yu Darvish pitched in a rehab start on May 14, throwing 4 innings and 51 pitches. His fastball sat 93-95, touching 97, and he threw 37 strikes in those 4 innings (per Ben Davey of MadFriars).

LHP Jackson Wolf did not fair as well in his second start with El Paso. He lasted 4.2 innings, allowing 7 hits, 3 runs but still getting 8 K’s.

San Antonio Missions (18-19 record, 4th Texas League, South Division)

With catcher Ethan Salas on the IL, likely until July with a stress reaction in his back, Brandon Valenzuela is making a run at putting himself back on the Padres radar. Formerly a top 30 prospect (per MLB) as recently as 2024, Valenzuela got bumped off the top 30 this year. He seems to be trying to fix that situation. His OPS of .898 is the best on the team and his slugging also leads with 5 HR and 6 doubles. His defense is considered plus and if he continues to show this kind of offense, he could be an option for the Padres going forward.

3B Devin Ortiz also continues to hit well but in a position of less need. 1B Romeo Sanabria was leading in most categories until Valenzuela started playing more. He remains impressive with a .314/.360/.486 slash line and a .845 OPS.

RHP Braden Nett has shown inconsistency and has a 4.20 ERA to show for it. Of the starters for the Missions, Henry Baez stands out and has thrown 37.2 innings with a 3.11 ERA. He has 39 K’s and 12 BB, the best stats of all the starters.

Reliever Bradgley Rodriguez had his quick swoon in April but since has only allowed two hits, one walk and has 10 strikeouts in 9 IP. His ERA currently sits at 3.93.

Recently acquired reliever Andrew Moore, the return in the Connor Joe trade with the Reds, made his organizational debut throwing one inning with a strikeout. His history shows a high walk rate.

Fort Wayne TinCaps (20-17 record, 3rd Midwest League, East Division)

Shortstop Leo De Vries has gone cold. The month of May has not been kind to him and he has struggled at the plate, losing his league leading OPS. He has also been bypassed on the team by 3B Rosman Verdugo with an .873 OPS. Verdugo also leads the team with 8 homers and 24 RBI.

The starters for the TinCaps were joined by Miguel Mendez, recently from his rehab with Lake Elsinore, who has a 2.25 ERA in 2 starts and 10 IP. RHP Eric Yost has a 1.86 ERA in 29 IP.

Relievers Harry Gustin (1.80 ERA in 25 IP) and Tyson Neighbors (1.20 ERA in 15 IP) both appear to be campaigning for promotions in the near future.

Lake Elsinore Storm ( 16-21 record, 3rd California League, South Division)

Infielder Ryan Jackson leads the team in OPS at .893 while 3B Zach Evans, 1B Kaden Hollow, Outfielder Kasen Wells and DH Kavares Tears are hitting .300 or above. Wells has 23 stolen bases to lead the league. Evans leads the team with 27 RBI.

Catcher Lamar King Jr. has cooled off, hitting .219/.313/.351 but leads the team with 3 homers and is fourth with 17 RBI.

LHP Kash Mayfield was removed from his most recent start (May 13) with shoulder discomfort and there has been no update. His current ERA is 4.87.

LHP Boston Bateman has pitched in 5 games (24.1 innings) with a 4.44 ERA. All the starters for the Storm have high ERA’s. Rehabbing Luis Patiño has made two starts totaling three innings.

Reliever Adam Conrad has a 0.00 ERA in 15.1 IP with 17 K and 10 BB.

ACL Padres (3-7 record, last in the Arizona Complex League, West Division)

First baseman Victor Figueroa is blowing everybody else out of the water with an OPS of 1.834. He is hitting .571/.634/1.200 in 10 games and 35 AB. He has 4 HR, 13 RBI, 4 doubles, 3 triples and 7 K’s with 6 BB. Drafted in the 18th round of the 2024 amateur draft, Figueroa is not on the preseason top prospect list.

Center fielder Kai Roberts continues his rehab assignment and is six games in with a 1.453 OPS. He has now played two entire games on defense and should be ready to return to full season duty soon.

Padres reliever Bryan Hoeing has started his rehab with 0.1 IP, allowing 3 hits including a homer. Matt Waldron has also begun his rehab with the ACL Padres, throwing 1.2 innings with a run on two hits, a walk and three strikeouts (May 15).

The third rehabbing pitcher, Humberto Cruz, has thrown two innings in two starts with 3 strikeouts and one earned run. He has a 4.50 ERA.

Padres minor league update week #7

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