San Diego Padres Week in Review: June 16 – June 22

El Paso Chihuahuas (Won series over Reno Aces, 4-2)

Players of the Week: Jhony Brito made a strong case to be moved up to San Diego, allowing only a run in two starts and 9.2 innings this week, with nine strikeouts against four walks. Working back from UCL internal brace surgery last spring, the 28-year-old looked good in 18.1 innings in Double-A San Antonio and continued his success in 13.2 innings in El Paso. Brito works mainly with a three-pitch mix of a changeup, sinker, and slider with an occasional sweeper and four-seam fastball. His sinker sits in the mid-90s. In 2024, Brito threw 43.2 innings of relief with a 4.12 ERA for the Padres. … Carlos Rodriguez, 25, continued his strong year, hitting .333/.385/583 with 10 RBI, which doubled the total of his second-best teammate. In his first season in the Padres organization, the left-hander has a .760 OPS while seeing time at all three outfield positions.

Top Prospects and Others of Note: Mason McCoy, 31, had another solid week with eight hits and three walks for a .962 OPS, and added a pair of stolen bases. For the season, he has a .301/.371/.447 slash line. While he has seen several players leapfrog him for big league opportunities, he remains the only active position player on the 40-player roster who isn’t currently with the Padres. … Dylan Grego, 22, who struggled this year at Fort Wayne and Lake Elsinore and was was called up because the team needed another infielder, gave the Chihuahuas a boost with eight hits in three games, including three doubles. The switch-hitter from Ball State will probably return to Single-A shortly, but the performance this week is sure to boost his confidence. … Righthander Evan Fitterer, 26, who El Paso manager Pete Zamora has seen throw going back to his high school career in Southern California, appeared in two games, allowing only one run in 7.1 innings. One of the more interesting sleepers in the Padres system, Fitterer worked mostly as a starter in April and May, but his last three appearances have been in a multi-inning role out of the bullpen. Originally a fifth-round pick by the Marlins out of high school, Fitterer reached minor league free agent last winter and quickly signed with the Padres. … Sean Boyle, 29, picked up a win in relief and allowed one run in four innings of work with five strikeouts against two walks. Boyle is fourth on the team with 49.1 innings pitched and has a 5.84 ERA on the season. Last year, he was primarily a starter in the Yankees’ organization at Triple-A and has made three starts in 2026 for the Chihuahuas. Alek Jacob, 28, didn’t allow a run in either of his two appearances and picked up a save. In seven appearances and 9.2 innings of work in June, he has a 2.79 ERA with the PCL hitting .182 against him. (John Conniff)

San Antonio Missions (Won series at Corpus Christi Hooks 4-2)

Players of the Week: With the first half of the minor league season officially in the books, several Missions players picked the perfect time to heat up before promotion season. Between Wednesday and Saturday, few players in baseball were hotter than Romeo Sanabria. The first baseman went 10-for-18 with five walks, two doubles, a home run, and a stolen base for good measure. Over that five-game stretch, Sanabria posted a .652 on-base percentage and slugged .833. After a dreadful first month in which he recorded a .572 OPS, he has rebounded with an .838 OPS this month. His performance at home in the power-suppressing environment of the Wolff has been a real issue this year, but the Padres will give him a chance to show what he can do in the PCL, where he should see bigger rewards for lifting the ball to the pull side. … For the first time this season, Victor Lizarraga pitched into the seventh inning, allowing one run on four hits over 6.2 innings. He earned his first win since May 10. The former Montgomery Aztec has been one of the streakiest pitchers on the staff this year. Over his last two starts, he has posted a 1.54 ERA. In the three starts before that, he had an 11.12 ERA. In the four starts prior to that stretch, it was at 0.90. On the season, the 23-year-old owns a 5.98 ERA across 14 appearances.

Top Prospects and Others of Note: Ethan Salas landed on the 7-day injured list with what was described as a minor oblique strain. Based on recent reporting, he could return later this week. The top prospect went 1-for-4 in two games before the injury but drew three walks. While Salas has posted a .503 OPS in June, he has also demonstrated excellent plate discipline, drawing eight walks against just three strikeouts in 52 plate appearances. … After cooling off last week, Braedon Karpathios bounced back in a big way. He went 7-for-23 with two doubles, a home run, and two walks. In June, the 23-year-old is batting .322 with a .912 OPS. Since May 1, Karpathios has produced a 142 wRC+ and a .401 wOBA. … Between May 6 and June 14, Tirso Ornelas hit just one home run. This week, however, he homered twice in five games and recorded a hit in every game he played. Ornelas finished the week 7-for-21 and added a double and one walk. Despite playing in a much tougher home-run environment than the Pacific Coast League, his eight home runs this season already leaves him just two shy of his total from last year with the Chihuahuas. … After going 0-for-6 in a doubleheader, Luis Verdugo rediscovered his power stroke. Over the final four games of the week, he collected two doubles and three home runs while going 7-for-15 at the plate. Prior to this surge, Verdugo had hit just three home runs in 47 games as his OPS sank to just .609 on June 17. This four-game stretch boosted it by more than 100 points to .712. … While much of the Missions’ rotation has experienced peaks and valleys, Ian Koenig continues to be a model of consistency. The 25-year-old has made every start this season and has allowed more than three earned runs only twice. This week, Koenig surrendered two runs on four hits over six strong innings. He walked two batters and tied his season high with seven strikeouts. Across four June starts, Koenig owns a 2.05 ERA, with opponents hitting just .147 against him. … Miguel Mendez continued to showcase his upper-90s fastball, but, as has been the trend in recent outings, he struggled to locate his secondary pitches. This week, Mendez worked three innings, allowing two runs on two hits while walking three and striking out five. The organization’s top right-handed pitching prospect needed 71 pitches to complete those three innings. On the season, Mendez owns a 4.41 BB/9 and a 9.87 K/9. While his 4.93 ERA leaves room for improvement, his 3.19 FIP paints a much rosier picture of his underlying performance. … Andrew Moore continues to be nearly unhittable out of the Missions bullpen. The 26-year-old faced six batters in the series and struck out half of them. Moore has allowed just one hit across 6.2 innings this month while striking out 14. On the season, he boasts an eye-popping 16.64 K/9 and a .117 batting average against. The concern remains his command, as he is averaging nearly one walk per inning, a trend that could become problematic when he moves up to El Paso. (Ben Davey)

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Won Series 4-2 against South Bend Cubs)

Players of the week: After struggling to start the month, Alex McCoy has made an adjustment in the past few series and has seen good results. Against South Bend pitching, McCoy went 6-for-22 with a .951 OPS fueled by two homers, the latter of which left his bat at 113 mph. Over his past 12 games, McCoy sports a .880 OPS, walking five times while striking out eight times. The 23-year-old leads the Midwest League with 21 doubles, is tied for sixth with 65 hits, and is just outside the top 10 in home runs. … Clay Edmondson made a trio of appearances, and over a combined three hitless innings, he walked only one while striking out four. The 23-year-old has been nothing short of exceptional this year with Fort Wayne. In his 27 innings, he sports a 1.67 ERA, 33.3% strikeout rate, and has held opposing hitters to a .134 average. When he’s not punching hitters out, he’s done well to keep them on the ground, as he owns a 50.0% ground ball rate. He’ll be joining the Missions bullpen this coming week.

Top Prospects and Others of Note: Kasen Wells continued to swing the bat well, going 4-for-15 with an inside-the-park home run, four RBIs, three walks, and two stolen bases. The numbers might not jump off the page, but over his last 42 games the former Texas A&M Aggie is slashing .312/.410./.377 with 11 stolen bases. A clear contact-over-power bat, he’s provided a nice boost and solid defense in center from atop the Fort Wayne lineup. … Kavares Tears went 3-for-14, swatting his eighth homer of the year. Tears’ game still has far to much swing-and-miss, as shown by his 31.8% strikeout rate, but he’s posted solid numbers dating back to May 1. In that stretch, the former Tennessee Volunteer owns a 120 wRC+, .392 wOBA, and .899 OPS. The power, bat speed, and exit velocities are there, but the question of whether he’ll make enough contact and cut down on strikeouts still remain…It was another slow week for the second half of the breakfast brothers, Jake Cunningham. The toolsy outfielder went 3-for-19 with a homer and struck out 10 times. Even with a very slow June, Cunningham is hitting .269 and owns a .929 OPS while mashing 15 homers this season. Like McCoy, Cunningham’s ability to take the next step hinges on limiting swing and miss. In 57 games, he boasts a concerning 37.1% whiff rate and 33.3% strikeout rate. … Carson Montgomery, who was featured for subscribers this week, worked four innings in his Wednesday start, allowing one run on three hits, walking two, and striking out three. This season he now owns a 23.5% K%, 2.74 ERA, and 29.6% chase rate. The 2024 13th-round selection is still struggling with command, walking 12.8% of the batters he’s faced. … Kash Mayfield returned to the rotation Friday with an abbreviated outing. The lefty pitched two scoreless innings, allowing one hit while striking out four. Mayfield’s outing was kept to two innings in an effort to load manage, as he’s tossed 42 innings this year and is only 18 innings away from his total all of last year. While his fastball still sits mostly 90-91 mph, he does own a sharp 3.00 ERA, 36% whiff rate, and 31.3% strikeout rate. … Tucker Musgrove made a pair of appearances this past week, allowing two earned runs over 2.1 innings. His latter of the outings was far more impressive, as he converted a four-out save. Musgrove generated four whiffs on eight swings, and ran his four-seamer up to 99 mph. After struggling with command early in the year, Musgrove has been dialed in since May 1. Since then, the right-hander owns a 1.46 ERA, a huge 47.5% whiff rate and a 20.43 K/9 rate that ranks first in the minors. (Clark Fahrenthold)

Lake Elsinore Storm (split series at San Jose Giants, 3-3)

Top Performers: The week featured a slew of peaks and valleys for Riverside County’s only professional baseball team. They clinched a first-half title with a win in the first game of the series, then won the next two for good measure. After the second half started Friday, the Storm dropped all three games over the weekend, splitting the series and starting the second half 0-3. However, the Storm’s place in the California League playoffs is secure before the roster sees significant turnover this week. … In what should be his swansong in the Cal League, Kerrington Cross did what he has done all season – demolish opposing pitching. The 24-year-old went 8-for-16 with a pair of homers and two doubles while driving in five. He added three stolen bases for good measure as he delivered a 1.579 OPS. Cross has a league-leading 1.075 OPS this season, and his 11 homers are tied for third in the league. … Righty Winyer Chourio had another great week as he continued his breakout campaign. The 22-year-old was the only Storm starter to pitch at least six innings in the series, allowing just one run on four hits while walking two and striking out five. The 22-year-old lowered his ERA to 3.31, almost halving the mark he managed in 20.1 innings for Elsinore last year. He carries a healthy 34.6% K-rate, although his 11.7% walk-rate is still a cause for concern as he prepares to move up a level. 

Top Prospects and Others of Note: Former undrafted free agent Qrey Lott had a monster week, hitting .467/.529/.667 with a homer, two RBI, and four runs scored in five games. Overall, the 21-year-old has been a solid contributor since joining the Storm in late April. In 137 plate appearances, he has a wRC+ of 111 to go with five homers. … Young infielder Jose Verdugo had another productive week at the plate, delivering a 1.091 OPS with a double, homer, and just one strikeout in 18 plate appearances. The 18-year-old has put together a .294/.355/.441 line with a pair of homers in June. … Jorge Quintana delivered a 1.021 OPS with a homer and five RBI in four games as he had a much-needed strong week. Quintana, 19, is in the midst of his best month of the season, carrying a .741 OPS this month after being sub-.620 in April and May. Perhaps more importantly, he’s cut his K-rate to 23% this month after striking out in nearly a third of his plate appearances through the first two months. … Bryan Balzer earned a win on Thursday, pitching five strong innings. The righty allowed a run on five hits, walking one and striking out two. In 12 games (11 starts) this season, Balzer has a 4.48 ERA. … Kruz Schoolcraft had another uneven outing on Friday. He tossed five innings but allowed five earned runs and took the loss. Over his last eight starts, Schoolcraft has an ERA in the mid-four’s and has shown flashes of dominance. The key in the second half will be for the 19-year-old to continue to make strides in commanding the strike zone. (Kevin Charity)

ACL Rockies 6, ACL Padres 2 (3-2 on the week)

Key Stats: C Jhojan Downer 1-for-2, BB, R; RHP Cameron Nohos 2 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 K, 3 BB, 4 WP; RHP Landry Jurecka 3 IP, 4 H, ER, K

Prospect Watch and Key Contributors: The Padres rookie club managed only one hit as they traveled across the Valley and lost Monday night. Panamanian catcher Jhohan Downer came up with a single to open the fifth inning, eventually scoring on a groundout after advancing on a pair of wild pitches. The 19-year-old also drew his 22nd walk in 26 games. His extreme patience contributed to a .200/.500/.300 line in 16 plate appearances on the week as he walked six times while adding a single and double. He struck out only three times for the week, but has a 34.9% K rate on the year. … Six of the first seven Rockies hitters reached base as they scored five first-inning runs against righty Cam Nohos. The undrafted hurler loaded the bases in the second inning, but escaped without further damage. He season-long struggle with control continued as the 6-foot-8 hurler walked three and uncorked four wild pitches. On the year, he has walked 12.5% of opposing hitters, hit three more, and tossed 10 wild pitches in 26.1 innings. His high-octane fastball has helped him to a 33.6% strikeout rate. … Landry Jurecka followed and allowed just one run over three innings of work. The 23-year-old also delivered a 1.1 inning scoreless appearance last Thursday, making him the team’s most effective pitcher on the week. Last year’s 18th-round pick, who opened the year in Lake Elsinore, but went out to Arizona on a rehab assignment after spending a month on the IL and then wound up being reassigned to get back on track, has now posted a 2.84 ERA across 12.2 innings this month and should likely head back to the Cal League shortly. (David Jay)