Padres Prospects Week in Review: April 22-April 27

Key Roster Moves: After remaining on the active roster but not playing for more than a week, Ethan Salas landed on the Injured List over the weekend with a back issue. While the organization doesn’t seem especially concerned, they’ll obviously want to see the top prospect back in action as soon as possible. The Padres also continued to try to find some bullpen depth for the Lake Elsinore squad, activating Tucker Musgrove from the IL to make his professional debut, bringing Javier Chacon up from an extended build-up in the desert and giving Jimmy Reyes his full-season debut. Carson Swilling and Mario Zabala landed on the IL. The club also sent defensive stalwart Emil Turbi to the Inland Empire to add stability to the infield.

MadFriars site and media updates: Clark Fahrenthold had an interview with Romeo Sanabria for subscribers and we made our coverage of the big league debuts of Ryan Bergert and Tirso Ornelas‘s long journey back home to Petco Park free to everyone.

El Paso Chihuahuas (Split series vs Sacramento 3-3)

Top Performers: With the Chihuahuas back home in El Paso, a raft of promotions in the organization has given new opportunities to both fresh faces and familiar names. Speedy outfielder Tim Locastro, who dazzled Padres fans in spring training 2024, led the charge in the series with a 1.220 OPS  while slugging a pair of home runs and two triples. The major league veteran played in his first series of the year after missing 11 months since tearing his labrum in El Paso last year. … Omar Cruz made his first start of the 2025 season and threw four innings of one-hit ball. The 26-year-old southpaw has become a valuable depth piece in the organization since his return to the Padres via the minor league Rule 5 draft. While he split time between San Diego and El Paso’s bullpen to open the year, he’s now helping out the Chihuahuas rotation as well. Cruz has allowed one run in nine-plus innings of work in Triple-A in 2025.

Top Prospects and Others of Note: Yonathan Perlaza put up a 1.213 OPS and drove in five runs in the series. The 26-year-old former Cubs farmhand continues to make a strong bid for playing time with a 1.061 OPS and .383 average in 94 at-bats in 2025. … A pair of longtime Padres prospects struggled mightily last week, with Luis Campusano going 2-for-20 and Eguy Rosario going 4-for-22 with six strikeouts. For Campusano, the struggles were a rare off series in a season that has otherwise been excellent at the plate, as the seemingly exiled former second-round pick is batting .317 with five home runs and a .999 OPS on the year. For the 25-year-old Rosario, however, it was another trying week as he tries to get back on track after going unclaimed from the waiver wire this spring. He’s batting only .175 in 57 at-bats in the 2025 season. … Reiss Knehr converted both save opportunities and contributed two-plus scoreless innings to the effort, lowering his ERA to 3.38. … Kevin Kopps made a pair of scoreless appearances, throwing three innings total in the series and striking out two batters. The 2021 third round pick owns a 2.30 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 15-plus innings this year, showing potential as a bullpen depth option for the Padres this year. (Mark Wilkens)

San Antonio Missions (Lost Series at Amarillo Sod Poodles, 2-4)

Players of The Week: No hitter in the Texas League produced more last week than Missions shortstop Francisco Acuña. The 26-year-old went 10-for-22 at the dish in the seven game-set against Amarillo, homering four times, tallying eight RBIs, scoring two runs, and swiping two bags en route to winning the Texas League Player of the Week for the week. Taking advantage of Amarillo being 3,622 feet above sea level with favorable winds, Acuña delivered a stellar 321 wRC+ and .667 wOBA on a 1.584 OPS. For the season, he owns a 152 wRC+ and .887 OPS in his 18 games played. … Despite pitching in the most hitter-friendly ballpark in the Texas League, Manuel Castro still found a way to be successful. Over 3.2 innings, the righty reliever held the Sod Poodles to only one earned run. In total, Castro posted a 46.2% strikeout rate with a 2.45 ERA and 1.23 FIP while holding opposing batters to a 0.83 batting average.

Top Prospects and Others of Note: Jagger Haynes put together the Missions’ best start of the week Sunday, turning in five innings. He allowed three runs on three hits and two walks while striking out five. Haynes produced a 23% whiff rate with a fastball that hit 96 and his slider continuing to show excellent depth. While Haynes walked a pair and hit a batter, his command was improved slightly as he landed 59% of his pitches for strikes. … Henry Baez battled in his start Wednesday night, going 4.2 innings and allowing only two runs on four hits and one walk. Baez’s fastball and slider both proved effective, helping him nab seven punch outs and a 30.2% whiff rate. … Braden Nett struggled in his Thursday afternoon’s start, surrendering six runs on eight hits and two walks, while striking out just three. Nett posted a season low 21% whiff rate. It was the first start this season where Nett allowed more than two runs and failed to strikeout four or more. … After a pair of rough appearances against Northwest Arkansas, Ryan Och rebounded with a pair of decent outings against Amarillo. Och earned his first save of the year on April 24, retiring the only batter he faced. Och generated a 33% whiff rate and one strikeout in his second outing. … Bradgley Rodriguez alarmingly left the series opener with back tightness after allowing five runs on two hits and three walks , but he came back looking no worse for wear Saturday as he struck out four over two innings of work while posting a 43% whiff rate. … Marcos Castañon took advantage of his environment, going 6-for-16 at the plate while driving in four runs. Even missing the final game of the series, the UC Santa Barbra alum posted a 194 wRC+, .466 wOBA, and 1.038 OPS in the series. (Clark Fahrenthold)

Fort Wayne TinCaps (lost series at Lansing Lugnuts 2-4)

Player of the Week: El Mutante already wrapped up the player of the week honors by Tuesday night. Leo De Vries homered twice, hit for the cycle, collected 14 total bases, and had eight RBI in the series opener. A fantastic week’s worth of stats for any player, and an unreal game for the system’s top prospect.  The rest of the week, he came back down to Earth, going 2-for-15 with a triple, two walks, and a stolen base.  He still finished the week with a cool .350/.391/.900 line. … Enmanuel Pinales continues to steamroll Midwest League hitters. The 24-year-old threw five innings of one-run ball. He struck out four and walked one.  Pinales leads the TinCaps and is in the top five in the Midwest League with a 1.45 ERA and 23 strikeouts. Considering that several TinCaps starters have had issues getting out of the first inning, Pinales has been a much-needed consistent force.

Top Prospects and Others of Note: Braedon Karpathios reached base safely in each of the five games he played, while also hitting two home runs.  The 21-year-old is quietly second on the team with an .825 OPS and tied for second in home runs. … After hitting .289/.396/.511 over three weeks with Lake Elsinore, Sean Barnett was one of the first promotions of the season.  Barnett went 1-for-6 with an RBI over two games this week in his Midwest League debut. … Brandon Butterworth had a great end to his week with back-to-back multi-hit games and collecting his first home run. The 22-year-old has been one of the more consistent TinCaps thus far, leading the team with a .380 on-base percentage. Butterworth stole three bases on the week and now leads the team with four on the season. … Nerwilian Cedeño also hit his first home run of the season on Sunday as part of a seven-hit week. The newly-converted center fielder is hitting .286/.318/.397 on the season. … After going Super Saiyan two weeks ago hitting four home runs in three days, Rosman Verdugo hit just 3-for-19, with a triple, 2 RBIs, and a pair of walks. The 20-year-old still leads the club with a .478 slugging percentage.  …Tyson Neighbors gave up his first run on Easter, throwing two innings for the first time in his professional career.  As a result, he made only one appearance this week, throwing a scoreless inning with one walk. It was the first time all season the former Kansas State closer did not strike out multiple batters. He is “down” to a 41.1% strikeout rate on the year. … For the first time since his first start of the season Isaiah Lowe made it out of the first inning.  The 21-year-old allowed one run over 3.1 innings, striking out four and walking two.  Lowe needed 73 pitches to record 10 outs before he gave way. The righty’s walk rate has more than doubled in 2025, but on the bright side this most recent start dropped his ERA nearly 5 runs (from 15.19 to 10.38). … After striking out eight over 3.2 innings in his previous start, Clark Candiotti couldn’t make it out of the first inning this week.  Over just two thirds of an innings, he allowed three hits and walked two.  Of the 34 pitches he threw before being removed, only 17 were strikes.  The 24-year-old now has a 7.36 ERA over his first 7.1 professional innings. … Garrett Hawkins replaced Candiotti and surrendered two earned runs over 1.2 innings.  The 25-year-old came back out on Sunday and tossed two perfect innings, striking out two, and earning his club-leading third win of the season. While the 5.25 ERA is nothing to brag about, Hawkins is holding opposing hitters to a .163 average as he continues his comeback from Tommy John. … Eric Yost was one out away from being just the second TinCaps pitcher this year to get through five innings in back-to-back starts. He ended up allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits in 4.2 innings.  The 22-year-old has a 2.20 ERA but opponents are hitting .329 off him. (Ben Davey)

Lake Elsinore Storm (lost series to the Visalia Rawhide, 2-4)

Top Performers: The Storm opened up a 12-game homestand matching up against Visalia, a team they have owned the previous few seasons. Despite the offense performing well, the Storm fell to the Rawhide. The California League South Division has been an unmitigated disaster to start the 2025 season. The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes have a commanding six-game lead with a 14-7 record. Behind them are the Rawhide (8-13), the Storm (7-14), and the Storm’s next opponent, the Inland Empire 66ers (6-15). … The offensive star of the week was center fielder Kasen Wells, who had his best week as a professional. Wells started all six games, hitting .462/.533/.500 with a double, three walks, and five stolen bases. He also led the team with eight runs scored. The 21-year-old out of Weatherford College has been a solid contributor this season for the Storm. In 21 games, he has a .400 on-base percentage, and he leads the league in runs scored with 21. The Storm pitching staff has struggled mightily, but Wells has been the driving force behind the second-best offense in the circuit. … Undrafted free agent Adam Conrad dominated the Rawhide, leading the team with 5.1 innings pitched without allowing a hit. He walked two and struck out seven. The 22-year-old North Carolina native has appeared in three games for the Storm and has not allowed a run in 7.1 innings. He’s allowed just one hit, walking three and striking out 10. Conrad attended Carolina University, a small NAIA school in his native state. The Padres promoted David Morgan to the major league squad on Sunday, showing that an undrafted free agent from an NAIA school can get to the highest level. Conrad has a long way to go to match Morgan’s feat, but thus far, he is off to a strong start. 

Top Prospects and Others of Note: Kaden Hollow was the only other Storm hitter to post an OPS over 1.000 on the week. The Dixie State product started all six games, hitting .333/.500/.500 with a homer, two RBI, and seven walks. Hollow. 24, has received an opportunity to play every day at first base and left field, and he’s taking advantage of it. In 82 plate appearances, Hollow has a sparkling wRC+ of 137 and an excellent 12% K-rate. He’s old for the level, but his high-contact approach has given the Storm some stability in the middle of the order. … Alex McCoy continued to display intriguing power, as he homered on Friday and drove in six runs on the week. Overall, his OPS of .899 ranked third on the club. The 23-year-old has been productive since joining the Storm roster in Fresno a few weeks ago. Despite an alarming 35.4% K-rate, McCoy has offensive production 13 percent above league average in 10 games. …. Lamar King Jr. played in all six games, hitting a solid .316/.440/.421 with two doubles and three RBIs. In 24 plate appearances, he struck out just twice. Entering the series against Visalia, King was carrying a hefty K-rate of 34%, despite excellent production. King has shown impressive exit velocities with the Storm this season, and if he can continue to make more frequent contact, he could be in Fort Wayne in the second half. … Both of the Storm’s top pitching prospects struggled last week against the Rawhide. Kash Mayfield started Tuesday and had the worst start of his brief professional career. Mayfield pitched just 2.1 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on three hits. He walked three, struck out four, and hit two batters. The 20-year-old has had flashes of dominance in three starts, and last Tuesday’s start was the first outing where he battled command issues. Still, Mayfield has shown polish and a good fastball in his three starts. In those three outings, posting a 4.82 ERA. … Boston Bateman pitched into the fifth inning on Thursday, but also added a loss to his ledger. Bateman pitched 4.1 innings, allowing four runs on five hits. He walked three and struck out five. The 19-year-old has struck out 16 batters in 12.2 innings through three starts. Despite the dominant stuff at times, Bateman has a 5.68 ERA so far. (Kevin Charity)