San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: May 30

Sacramento River Cats 5, Chihuahuas 3

Key Statistics: CF Bryce Johnson, 2-for-4, R, HR (3), 2 RBI; LF Tirso Ornelas, 3-for-3, BB, 2B; DH Mason McCoy, 1-for-4; RHP Matt Waldron (L, 0-1) 4 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 K; RHP Kevin Kopps, 1.1 IP, H, BB, K

Prospect Watch: El Paso fell behind in the middle innings and lost Friday night to the other baseball team in Sacramento. … Center fielder Bryce Johnson had a pair of hits, including his third homer of the season. It was Johnson’s first multi-hit game since May 4. In between the multi-hit games, the former big leaguer hit just .182/.357/.341 with an excellent 20% walk rate but a troubling 25% strikeout rate. … Tirso Ornelas had a great game at the plate, reaching base in all four of his plate appearances. He singled twice, stroked a 106 mph double, and drew a walk. The 25-year-old is in the midst of his best stretch of the season. Over his last four games, the Tijuana native is 9-for-16 with two homers, five doubles, and seven RBI to push his overall line for May to .333/.374/.512. … Matt Waldron continued his path toward the big leagues with his fourth rehab start. The results weren’t great as he allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits and three walks, though he did strike out six as he threw his knuckle ball 60% of the time. Perhaps more importantly, Waldron stretched out to 75 pitches, potentially setting up to return to the Padres’ rotation. With a stretch of 13 games in a row that began Friday, the Padres will need a fifth starter later this week. Kyle Hart started Wednesday, the same day Ryan Bergert went four for El Paso. Barring an injury, Hart cannot return to the big league squad next week.

Missions 4, Arkansas Travelers 2

Key Statistics: C Brandon Valenzuela, 1-for-4, R, HR (7), 2 RBI; 1B Romeo Sanabria, 1-for-3, BB; RF Joshua Mears, 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI; RHP Luis Patiño, 4 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 4 K; RHP Enmanuel Pinales (W, 1-3) 5 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 K

Prospect Watch: The Missions scored two runs each in the fifth and eighth innings to win in Little Rock. … Catcher Brandon Valenzuela hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning to give the Missions the insurance runs they ultimately needed. It was Valenzuela’s seventh homer of the season, as he continues to punish the baseball in May. The switch-hitting catcher has a .333/.408/.540 line with four homers and 12 RBI for the month. If there is one negative in his game, it’s that he does have some strikeout concerns. With a pair of punchouts Friday, he has struck out in 24.4% of his plate appearances this month. Valenzuela has taken the opportunity to be the Missions’ primary catcher and has run with it. The Padres have only one catcher on the 40-man roster under contract for next season. With Ethan Salas missing valuable development time due to a back injury, Valenzuela is putting himself in the mix for a big-league opportunity. He must be added to the 40-man roster this season, or he will again reach minor league free agency in the offseason. … Luis Patiño’s rehab stint ended, so he is now a full-fledged member of the Missions. The former top prospect looked sharp Friday, pitching four strong innings. He allowed a pair of hits, walking two and striking out four. Patiño returned to the Padres organization before last season when the club claimed him off waivers. He had Tommy John surgery in March and missed the entire season before the Padres non-tendered him and agreed to a minor league contract. If he continues to perform, he could establish himself as an intriguing depth option. While he may not have the upside many predicted when he headlined the Blake Snell deal in 2020, he’s still just 25 years old. … Enmanuel Pinales took over for Patiño and earned his first Double-A victory. The young righty completed the final five innings, allowing two runs on two hits. He walked three and struck out eight. Pinales’ only blemish was a two-run shot he allowed in his final inning. The 24-year-old dominated at Fort Wayne to open the year, virtually necessitating a promotion to a more challenging level. However, Pinales got knocked around out of the gate, allowing 16 earned runs in 7.2 innings in his first three Texas League outings. Over his last two appearances, Pinales has been closer to the pitcher we saw demolish the Midwest League in April, allowing four runs and striking out 12 across 10.2 innings. 

Roster Moves: With Bradgley Rodriguez‘s call to the big leagues, lefty Ryan Och was activated from a very brief stint on the Development List.

Great Lakes Loons 10, TinCaps 4

Key Statistics: 2B Brandon Butterworth, 2-for-4, 2 R, HR (2), RBI; DH Sean Barnett, 1-for-4, R, HR (1), RBI; LF Jack Costello, 2-for-4, 2 2B; C Oswaldo Linares, 2-for-4; RHP Miguel Mendez, 3.2 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 BB, K; LHP Bodi Rascon (L, 0-1) 1.2 IP, 5 H, 7 ER, 5 BB, K; RHP Luis Germán, IP, H, K

Prospect Watch: The Loons scored four runs in the fifth inning and five more in the sixth inning to cruise to a victory over the TinCaps. … While Leo De Vries has garnered most of the headlines this season, fellow middle infielder Brandon Butterworth has performed well as well. The North Carolina native, who played shortstop in college but has seen most of his playing time this season at second base, had a pair of hits, including his second homer of the season. Overall, Butterworth has a .781 OPS and nine extra-base hits in May, including four triples. … Left fielder Jack Costello had a pair of doubles in the loss. The four-year starter at the University of San Diego got off to a miserable start in April, hitting just .202. He’s looked better at the plate in May, pushing his average to .289, but the power he showed last year in his pro debut has all but evaporated. In 2024, the 24-year-old homered six times in 25 games. This season, he has just three home runs in 41 games. Overall, he carries a .599 OPS for the TinCaps. … Righty Miguel Mendez made the start and had an inefficient night. Mendez needed 68 pitches – 38 for strikes – to get through 3.2 innings. He walked two and struck out one. After tossing five innings in his debut with the TinCaps on May 9, the 22-year-old has not been able to go that far in any of his last three spots. When Mendez is on, he has some of the best stuff in the system but he will need to be more efficient to let his stuff play. 

Storm 5, Stockton Ports 1

Key Statistics: SS Ryan Jackson, 2-for-4, R; DH Kavares Tears, 3-for-4, R, HR (5), RBI; 1B Victor Figueroa, 1-for-4, 2 R, HR (3), 2 RBI; RHP Tucker Musgrove, 2.1 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 4 K; RHP Johan Moreno (W, 1-3) 4.2 IP, H, 3 BB, 3 K; RHP Vicarte Domingo, 2 IP, BB, 4 K

Prospect Watch: The Storm used a pair of homers and great pitching to defeat Stockton again at The Diamond.  Kavares Tears had three more hits Friday, giving him eight over the last three games. The former Tennessee outfielder had two singles and connected on his fifth homer of the season. The 22-year-old started the year on the injured list with a hamstring issue that continues to keep him out of the field, but has gotten better as the season progressed. Tears is hitting .302/.373/.510 in May with eight doubles and four homers. … Victor Figueroa homered to left-center – his only hit Friday night. The first baseman crushed a pitched over the right-center wall and, like many Padres prospects, emulated Fernando Tatis Jr.’s hop before hitting the third base bag. After making the ACL his personal playground, the Florida native has cooled off a bit since joining the Storm. In 11 ACL games, Figueroa had a 1.922 OPS; that number has decreased to a still impressive .879 OPS in 10 Cal League games. … Righty Tucker Musgrove made his first career start and pitched well. The former University of Mobile starter pitched 2.1 innings, allowing one run on two hits. He walked one and struck out four. Musgrove, 23, was drafted in the seventh round in 2022 and immediately needed Tommy John surgery. Initially drafted as a two-way player, Musgrove is no longer pursuing hitting as a professional. In six games with the Storm, the righty has a 5.59 ERA in 9.2 innings. … Righty Johan Moreno took over for Musgrove and pitched 4.2 innings, allowing just one hit. He walked three and struck out three. The 22-year-old from Venezuela struggled immensely out of the gate pitching to a 14.46 ERA in seven April outings. Since then, he’s looked much better, especially lately. Over his last three outings, spanning 9.2 innings, Moreno allowed just one run on two hits, walking three and striking out ten. 

ACL Mariners 4, ACL Padres 2

Key Statistics: LF Eguy Rosario, 2-for-5; 2B Ismael Javier, 3-for-4, R; DH Alcides Hernandez, 1-for-3, 2 BB; RHP Cole Paplham, IP, H; RHP Tanner Smith, 2 IP, H, 4 K; RHP Winyer Chourio (L, 2-2) 3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 K

Prospect Watch: The ACL Padres let a lead slip away late, losing to the Mariners in Peoria. The loss dropped the ACL squad to 5-16. … Eguy Rosario had two hits, both singles, and also struck out three times in the loss. The 25-year-old has had a miserable season after being designated for assignment before opening day. After struggling with El Paso, the organization sent him back to the ACL in an attempt to help right the ship. In 10 games with the rookie level club, Rosario has a .545 OPS with 12 strikeouts in 44 plate appearances. … Switch-hitting infielder Ismael Javier had three hits and scored a run. The 19-year-old is hitting .233/.351/.330 in 12 games in his second campaign in the desert. … Righty Cole Paplham worked a scoreless inning in his fourth rehab appearance as he comes back from taking a line drive to the face in spring training. The hard-throwing 25-year-old could find his way into the San Antonio bullpen as soon as next week. … Righty Tanner Smith looked sharp, tossing a pair of scoreless innings. He allowed just one hit while striking out four. The 22-year-old was the Padres’ 15th-rounder last season, out of Harvard University even as he was slowly recovering from Tommy John surgery. The 6-foot-6 righty has struck out six batters in 3.1 innings.