San Diego Padres Week in review: June 2-8

El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost series 2-4 to Sugar Land Space Cowboys)

Players of the Week: Nick Solak had 13 hits in six games with a pair of doubles and two home runs for a team-leading eight RBI. The 31-year-old former Yankees second-round pick has logged parts of six years in the major leagues. This year, he has seen time at first base and both the corner outfield spots while putting together an imposing season slash line of .344/.421/.536. There is a long line of other right-handed hitters he’ll have to compete with for another major league spot in San Diego this year. … Germán Márquez may have had the best week of any Chihuahuas pitcher this season, making two starts and throwing 6.2 scoreless innings. The rehabbing big leaguer allowed only two hits with five strikeouts against one walk. The 10-year veteran of the Colorado Rockies had some solid years while pitching in the best hitting environment in the major leagues, and showed the ability to do the same in El Paso this week.

Top Prospects and Others of Note: It’s heating up in El Paso, which contributed to five Chihuahuas posting an OPS over 1.000 on the week. Nick Schnell did a lot of damage with four doubles among eight hits in five games. The left-handed hitter had a rough start to the year, but posted an .861 OPS in May and posted a .471/.500/.706 line in his first week of June. The Rays’ 2018 first-round pick is second on the team with 10 home runs while making most of his starts in right field. … Marcos Castañon, who was profiled for subscribers yesterday and had a .928 OPS in May, continued his strong Triple-A performance with a double and two home runs for a 1.000 OPS this week. … Pablo Reyes had a huge .350/.458/.550 line for the week, building on his stellar 1.098 OPS in May. … In his first week off the IL, catcher Blake Hunt had five hits, including a double and a home run, in four games and 14 plate appearances. … Two relievers with major league experience contributed for the pitching staff. Logan Gillaspie allowed only a single run in two appearances and 4.1 innings of work, striking out three batters along the way. Lefty Kyle Hart gave up a run over 3.1 innings in his two appearances, dropping his ERA for the Chihuahuas to 8.25. (John Conniff)

San Antonio Missions (Won series at Wichita Wind Surge 5-1)

Players of the Week: Braedon Karpathios reached base 18 times in the six-game series, going 9-for-19 with nine walks to fuel a .643 on-base percentage for the week. The 22-year-old now owns a team-best .373 OBP for the year, especially impressive given that he struggled to a .247 OBP and .513 OPS in April. Since May 1, he has recorded a .920 OPS, a 159 wRC+, and a 20.6% walk rate. He might be back. … For the first time since April 16, Miguel Mendez tossed five scoreless innings. Mendez had been eased back into action slowly after a neck strain sidelined him for nearly three weeks. He allowed just two hits while striking out four. Mendez sat 96-97 mph with his fastball for most of the outing and did a better job locating his secondary pitches than he had earlier in the season.

Top Performers:  Ethan Salas celebrated his 20th birthday on Monday, then delivered his worst week since April. Salas went 3-for-21 at the plate with no extra-base hits and three walks. He did add two stolen bases, giving him 12 to establish a new career high before the season is even halfway over. Salas still has a career-best .808 OPS through 49 games this season. … Romeo Sanabria had a loud week, collecting two doubles and two home runs among nine hits to slug .607 in Kansas. The 24-year-old first baseman struck out six times without a walk, but still has strong 23.9% strikeout and 12.6% walk rates on the year. … After a tough two weeks, Carson Tucker is back at it. The former Guardians first-round pick, who sat out 2024 and spent 2025 in the independent leagues, went 8-for-23 with three doubles and three stolen bases on the week, good for a .344/.400/.478 slash line. The 24-year-old has a career-high 13 stolen bases and has yet to be caught. … Jagger Haynes came one out away from a quality start but gave up a two-out RBI single and was pulled from the game. The lefty went 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on three hits while walking three and striking out three. After a rough 6.19 ERA in April, Haynes has pitched into the sixth inning in five of his last seven starts and posted a 3.83 ERA during that span. … Ian Koenig started the week by throwing seven shutout innings, allowing one hit, walking two, and striking out a season-high seven batters. He ended the week unable to find the plate. In his second start, Koenig walked five over four innings while allowing three runs. Despite the rocky second outing, the undrafted free agent is off to the best start of his career, posting a 4.04 ERA through his first 11 starts. Koenig does not throw hard but has been more effective at hitting the corners and generating weak contact. … Josh Mallitz led a strong week for the bullpen, which had five different relievers make a pair of scoreless appearances. After allowing 11 earned runs over his first three innings this year, Malitz has been bringing down his ERA ever since. He has allowed just two runs over his last 15 innings, including four scoreless innings this week. Over those four innings, Malitz allowed only two baserunners and struck out seven. … Righty Andrew Moore struck out six batters in two innings of work as well. Since May 1, the 26-year-old has struck out 28 hitters in 11.2 innings while working around 11 walks to allow only three runs. (Ben Davey)

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost series to Lake County, 1-5)

Players of the Week: After struggling mightily with his command and struggling to open the year, right-hander Tucker Musgrove has been stellar in recent weeks. The 23-year-old continued to turn the corner last week with a pair of scoreless appearances in which he didn’t allow a hit and struck out four. In his Sunday outing, his fastball topped out 99.3 mph, while his sweeper touched 98. Over his last 10.1 innings, the right-hander has a 1.69 ERA and an absurd 47% strikeout rate. His command has also been much improved in that time, walking just 9.8% of batters. … Jake Cunningham’s power surge rolled along against Lake County as the outfielder went 6-for-23 and swatted four homer runs to raise his season total to 14. Cunningham has been one of the hottest hitters in the system for some time now, boasting a 1.178 OPS, 154 wRC+, and eight long balls since May 1. Swing-and-miss is still a big concern as the former 5th-round pick is still posting a brutal 35.9% whiff rate during this hot stretch. However, there is no denying the toolsy outfielder – who hit just seven homers in his prior two seasons in the Baltimore system – seems to have flipped a switch in his new organization.

Top Prospects and Others of Note: Lamar King Jr. turned in a solid week at the dish, going 6-for-16 with a pair of walks and an RBI. Dating back to May 1, the TinCaps backstop is hitting .290 with a 114 wRC+. While he is making consistent contact, he is still looking for more power after posting a .120 isolated power and .410 slugging percentage in that same span. … Kavares Tears went just 3-for-15 against Lake County pitching, but still posted a .983 OPS thanks to swatting his 4th and 5th homers of the season and logging his third triple. Both long balls went to the opposite field, as Tears showcased his impressive plus-power. The former Tennessee Volunteer remains an intriguing player as the power is legit and he owns a above average 14.5% walk rate for the season. At the same time, he’s striking out at an egregious 31.5% clip and hitting .204. Still, his OPS this season sits at a respectable enough .743. … Rosman Verdugo tallied a 5-for-19 week, which was highlighted by the infielder connecting on his ninth homer of the season. Through 49 games, the 21-year-old owns a 95 wRC+ and .349 wOBA. Perhaps his biggest strides, though, have come with his plate discipline. A season ago, he struck out at a 32.2% clip with just a 66.5% contact rate. This season, he’s cut the K rate to 22.2% with a contact rate of 74%. … It was another cold week for Alex McCoy, who went 2-for-15 with six punch-outs. Over the past two weeks, McCoy is hitting just .158 and has struck out 36.8% of the time. Teams are regularly throwing breaking balls out of the zone, taking advantage of the big man’s 40% chase rate and 36.5% whiff rate since May 25. He’ll look to get back on track in Dayton, a club that also saw him earlier in the season when he was crushing fastballs in the zone. McCoy will need to make adjustments now that clubs have a book on him. … After a rough outing two weeks ago, Kash Mayfield tossed five innings, allowing three runs on seven hits. All three runs he allowed came on solo homers as the wind was blowing out at 16 mph. Mayfield limited opponents to just two dingers in his past nine starts. The southpaw owns a 3.15 ERA and 4.70 xFIP in 40 innings on the year. … Carson Montgomery delivered a gritty outing on Thursday, working five innings and allowing three runs on two hits despite walking five as he struck out six. Montgomery’s command, while better at times this year, still remains a work in progress as his walk rate sits at 13.6% this season. Over his last five starts, he owns a 26% strikeout rate, 2.59 ERA, and 3.90 FIP. In that same span, he’s getting hitters to chase at a 31.5% clip. (Clark Fahrenthold )

Lake Elsinore Storm (split series at Fresno Grizzlies, 3-3)

Top Performers: Outfielder Ryan Wideman had a strong week at the plate, delivering a 1.093 OPS with a pair of doubles and a homer. He also added a stolen base, though he was caught three times. Wideman has been a consistent offensive performer for the Storm this season, delivering a solid 124 wRC+ and an .895 OPS. The 22-year-old continues to see strong returns from his reworked swing, as his strikeout rate remains at just 18.1% this season with a swinging strike rate that has gone from an untenable 15.8% last year to a middle-of-the-road 9.8% this year. … Kruz Schoolcraft turned in the best start of his young career on Friday to earn his first professional win. The tall lefty delivered five solid innings, allowing just one run on three hits. He struck out three and for the first time as a professional, he did not allow a walk. The excellent start dropped his ERA down to 6.98. 

Top Prospects and Others of Note: Outfielder George Bilecki only played in four games on the week, but demolished Grizzlies’ pitching. Bilecki went 5-for-10, with a double, homer, six RBIs, and five walks. The Chicago native has produced slightly above-average offensive results this year, thanks in part to a 20% walk rate. In 42 games, Bilecki has a .401 on-base percentage. … Kerrington Cross continued to batter Cal League pitching, producing a 1.019 OPS while pacing the club with a pair of homers. The 24-year-old has arguably been the most productive hitter in the Cal League this season. He ranks third in the league with a .570 slugging percentage, and his .466 on-base percentage leads the circuit. While Cross has been an absolute force for the first-place Storm, given his advanced age, the former Cincinnati Bearcat could be a TInCap before the end of June. … Eighteen-year-old infielder Jose Verdugo put together another nice week at the plate, delivering a .970 OPS with two doubles and a homer. Perhaps more impressively, he hit safely in all six games to extend his hitting streak to 15 games. Verdugo has seen his average rise from .232 to .287 during the hitting streak. … Jesus Castro pitched well Wednesday, firing five shutout innings. He allowed three hits, walking two and striking out five. The 18-year-old has a solid 3.05 ERA in nine starts this season after spending all of last year in the DSL. (Kevin Charity)

ACL Padres 7, ACL Cubs 5 (7 Innings) (3-2 on the week)

Key Stats: CF Moises Valdez 2-for-4, 3B, 2 SB (6), 2 RBI; DH Santiago Vargas 2-for-4; 3B Dawson Willis 1-for-3, 2B, BB; RHP Cameron Nohos 2.2 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 4 K, 4 BB, 2 WP; RHP Jordan Valenzuela 2 IP, 2 K, 2 BB

Prospect Watch and Top Performers: Hitting out of the designated hitter spot, Santiago Vargas went 2-for-4 with a triple, and also swiped a pair of bases. The 18-year-old switch-hitter had a strong 9-for-15 week with three extra-base hits to lead the club with a 1.625 OPS. The Colombia native didn’t play in the DSL after signing in January 2025, but he’s hit the ground running in his first professional experience with a .315/.367/.556 line. … Third baseman Dawson Willis had a double and a walk in four trips to the plate and has now reached safely in all 11 of his professional games. Three of the 22-year-old undrafted free agent’s four hits on the week went for doubles and he’s now slugging .634 on the year. … After spending three years in the DSL, outfielder Santiago Contreras finally came stateside this spring. He started the year going just 1-for-18 in May, but drew nine walks and was hit by two pitches for a .056/.414/.056 line that one would only see in the complex league. The left-handed hitter got on track this week, going 5-for-15 and drawing three more walks to post a .967 OPS. … Righty Cameron Nohos struck out the first four batters he faced and then worked around a two-out walk as he cruised through the first two innings Monday. Then the wheels came off for the big righty, who gave up a pair of singles and three walks before he could get out of the third inning and was ultimately charged with four earned runs. The 6-foot-8 undrafted free agent has shown the ability to dominate in the ACL, striking out 36.7% of the batters he has faced, but he carries a 5.06 ERA overall. … Lefty Zack Qin was once again the leader of the pitching staff for the week as he tossed four scoreless innings. The 20-year-old was officially activated from the 60-day IL after his latest start, but remains in Arizona to start the week. (David Jay)