Padres bring 51 minor leaguers to Peoria for 2026 minicamp

PEORIA — The San Diego Padres’ 2026 minor league program got underway on Monday morning as 51 of the club’s prospects took the field for the first time. The group – noticeably larger than those that have assembled in recent years – will work to get up to speed before the full minor league roster reports to the Peoria Sports Complex at the end of the month.

The group includes 31 pitchers, highlighted by Kruz Schoolcraft and Kash Mayfield, the Padres’ first picks in each of the last two drafts. Mayfield posted strong numbers but carried a limited workload in 2025. He’ll be asked to build up to well over 100 innings in his age-21 campaign. Schoolcraft, who departed from recent tradition and made a late-season start in Lake Elsinore less than two months after last year’s draft, will look to anchor the Storm rotation this season.

Righties Kannon Kemp, Bryan Balzer, Carson Montgomery, Maikel Miralles, and Jaxon Dalena, who are all expected to contribute as starters in Single-A this year, are also at the complex. The Padres are looking for several from that group to take a significant step forward this year.

The volume of trades the organization has made, combined with an aggressive approach to acquiring talent outside the draft, means that three of the six outfielders who earned invitations to the more focused instruction period are undrafted free agents. Braedon Karpathios and Alex McCoy both vaulted up the system’s depth charts with big showings last year. Qrey Lott, who opted for junior college in Florida after being drafted by Baltimore out of high school, hopes to join them this year. The 6-foot-5 21-year-old is one of the system’s premium athletes.

Padres special assistant Scott Servais meets with catchers during the club’s minor league minicamp. (Photo: David Jay)

The one area where the Padres have significant depth is at catcher. With Ethan Salas in big league camp, Lamar King Jr., Ty Harvey, and Truitt Madonna, who have all featured prominently in our offseason top 30 lists, are working on the back fields.

Taiwanese righty Lan-Hong Su, who signed for a six-figure bonus late in the 2025 international free agency period, has been added to the domestic roster and arrived in Peoria. Soon to be 19 years old, he’ll headline the Arizona Complex League pitching staff. Infielder Jose Verdugo, who contributed significantly to the 2025 DSL championship-winning roster before coming stateside for instructional league play, is the only other player who has yet to appear in domestic games.

Relievers Josh Mallitz and Carter Loewen are in camp getting ready to join Team Israel and Team Canada, respectively, for the World Baseball Classic. They should both be in the mix for the San Antonio bullpen when they return to Peoria later in March.

The full minicamp roster is below.