Padres minor leagues are struggling, too

There were more roster changes for the San Diego Padres’ minor league affiliates as recently promoted players are struggling to adjust to their new level. The first-half champion Lake Elsinore Storm has won only seven games since it won the first half in its Single-A division.

Visit iwanktv.club for more information.

The All-Star break provided a breather for the affiliates, and none played more than three games since the last update. The Storm has slipped to third place in their division and are only two games over .500 overall.

The ACL Padres play their last games this week with their season ending on Thursday. The DSL teams had their All-Star game as well over the past week. 

Some good news for the Padres rests in the rehab performances of Jose Leclerc, 32, who started with the Arizona team for 5.1 innings and is now with the Fort Wayne TinCaps as he continues to build up. He should be ready to join the Padres bullpen in August. 

There are five weeks left in the minor league season for the domestic teams above rookie ball and the Padres continue to make adjustments to the rosters of all the levels. There will be a small influx of players after the signing deadline on July 27 when the more senior draftees that signed contracts join the lower level for some experience before the season ends.

El Paso Chihuahuas (42-53 record, 4th in PCL East)

The Padres signed outfielder Dustin Harris to a minor league contract after releasing outfielder Nick Schnell. Schnell had a 31% strikeout rate for the Chihuahuas while hitting .239 with a .798 OPS.

LHP Jagger Haynes was promoted to El Paso from San Antonio. For the season so far, Haynes has a 4.37 ERA in 94.2 innings, with 85 strikeouts and 41 walks. He has improved his performance as the season has gone on.

The best hitter for El Paso is utility player Nick Solak, who leads the team with a .309 average and .377 OBP. Catcher Blake Hunt has a .548 slugging percentage, but Solak has the most home runs with 12 and 52 RBI.

LHP Jackson Wolf has a 5.81 ERA in 83.2 innings pitched with 83 strikeouts to 34 walks. RHP Evan Fitterer has the best ERA among the starters at 3.84 in 72.2 innings pitched. Reliever Andrew Moore has a 2.70 ERA in 10.2 innings pitched since joining El Paso.

RHP Logan Gillaspie rejoined El Paso from the injured list.

San Antonio Missions (41-49 record, 5th (last) in Texas League South)

Outfielder Jake Cunningham has continued his breakout in the Padres system since joining the Missions. He is hitting .304 with 14 RBI in his 22 games in San Antonio.  Infielder Luis Verdugo is getting on base at a .350 clip for the team lead. Outfielder Tirso Ornelas continues to lead in slugging with a .472 average and has 12 homers and 38 RBI.

Catcher Ethan Salas has continued to alternate in the DH position but overall has a .282/.349/.419 line with 12 doubles, seven home runs and 36 RBI. He has struck out 40 times with 27 walks in his return to pro ball after missing almost all of last year to injury.

Reliever Francis Peña has returned to form after struggling with command during the first half of the season. For the Missions, Pena has a 2.93 ERA in 40 innings pitched with 51 strikeouts to 29 walks. 

Their best starter has consistently been RHP Eric Yost, who has a 3.34 ERA in 56.2 innings pitched in his 14 games/nine games started. LHP Jagger Haynes had more strikeouts but a higher ERA during his time with the Missions before going to El Paso.

RHP Matt Watson was promoted to San Antonio. He had a 5.23 ERA in 51.2 innings with Fort Wayne.

Fort Wayne TinCaps (37-52 record, 5th in Midwest League East)

Outfielder Kasen Wells and first baseman Luke Cantwell have assumed the offensive leadership for the TinCaps. Wells has a .283 average and .379 OBP while Cantwell is slugging .515 in his 10 games since being promoted to Fort Wayne. Outfielder Kavares Tears leads with 13 home runs, and outfielder Alex McCoy has 44 RBI.

Only Cantwell, of the players promoted from the Storm at the midpoint, has adjusted well to the change in level. CF Ryan Wideman continues to steal bases at a rapid rate and now leads minor league ball with 51 steals. His .504 slugging with Lake Elsinore has dropped to .287 with Fort Wayne.

LHP Kash Mayfield, who should get longer outings for the remainder of the season if he stays healthy, has a 3.20 ERA over his 50.2 innings with 59 strikeouts and 20 walks. He had strict limits placed on his innings over the first half so he could build up after being limited by injury last season.

RHP Kannon Kemp is continuing his build-up, having pitched 6.1 innings with Fort Wayne after starting his rehab with the ACL team. He is having command issues, with more walks than strikeouts and a 7.11 ERA.

Lake Elsinore Storm (46-44 record, 3rd in California League South)

The Storm has struggled mightily since losing their best players to Fort Wayne. Infielder Justin DeCriscio was promoted from the ACL team when the others left for High-A Fort Wayne. He is hitting .270 with a .795 OPS and leads the offense. Outfielder Qrey Lott now has the most home runs with seven, while infielder Jose Verdugo, 18, leads with 42 RBI.

RHP Jesus Castro, 18, has been the standout starter for the entire season. He has a 3.92 ERA in 59.2 innings pitched in 15 games started.  

ACL Padres (32-25 record, 3rd in West Division)

Outfielder Eddson Martinez, 18, who started the season with the DSL Gold team, has now played in 23 games for the ACL Padres. He is hitting .372/.436/.487 with seven doubles, a triple and 13 RBI. His 1.281 OPS with the DSL team is what got him promoted. He leads all ACL Padres offensively. Outfielder Jesmaylin Arias, 19, has eight home runs and 37 RBI with a .510 slug as their power hitter.

LHP Luis Gutierrez, 22, and RHP Jeremiah Estrada are both on rehab assignments with the ACL team. LHP Ryan Reed, 22, was drafted by the Padres in the 15th round of the 2025 draft and made one appearance last season for Lake Elsinore after signing. He started this season on the injured list and has now appeared in seven games and 8.2 innings pitched to begin his rehab. He has a 4.15 ERA with eight strikeouts and five walks.

RHP Luis German completed his rehab outings with the ACL team and was transferred to Fort Wayne to begin building up.

RHP Cameron Nohos and RHP Landry Jurecka were promoted from ACL Padres to Lake Elsinore.

Catcher Ty Harvey has begun his rehab from the broken hand he suffered in May. After completing his rehab, he will rejoin Lake Elsinore.

DSL Padres Brown and Gold

The Brown team sits with a 7-27 record, last in the West Division. They struggle to score runs as well as to command pitches. It has been a difficult season for the players on the Brown team. Their season finishes next month.

The Gold team has a 25-10 record, 1st in the Northwest Division. Infielder Sebastian Nadales was transferred to Gold from Brown and has played in four games with a .385 average so far. 

Right fielder Ricardo De La Paz leads the team with a .375 average and a .596 OBP. Infielder Abraham Bastidas leads with a .667 slug and three home runs. Shortstop Joniel Hernandez is tops with 41 RBI.

The DSL All-Star game played to a 7-6 AL over NL win with Hernandez as the only Padres position player in the game. He was 0-for-2 with a strikeout. 

RHP Albieris Polanco pitched for the NL team and completed one inning with two strikeouts.

Read full story at source