David Morgan is back on the mound. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
All full-season minor league teams had the night off for the All-Star Break
ACL Padres 8, ACL Mariners 2
Key Statistics: RHP David Morgan 0.1 IP, H, 2 BB, K; RHP José Leclerc 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, BB, 2 K; LF Eddson Martinez 2-for-5, R, 2 RBI; RF Jesmaylin Arias 3-for-5, 2 2B, R, 2 RBI; 3B Santiago Vargas 1-for-3, HR (3), 3 RBI
Prospect Watch: The ACL Padres allowed two runs on five hits. Both runs, along with four of the five hits, came against pitchers with major league experience. José Leclerc allowed a run for the first time since beginning his rehab assignment. The 32-year-old should move to a full-season affiliate within the next week. Leclerc posted back-to-back seasons with a sub-3.00 ERA for the Rangers in 2022 and 2023 before struggling in 2024 and spending most of 2025 on the injured list. He has thrown 4.1 innings with the ACL Padres so far. … David Morgan allowed three of the four batters he faced to reach base in his first rehab appearance since landing on the injured list on June 27. Morgan was optioned in April after walking eight batters in 8.2 innings, but he had cut that total to four walks over his final 19 innings before the injury. In his first outing in nearly three weeks, however, he walked half of the batters he faced. Morgan will almost certainly move to a higher level when his rehab continues on Friday, but his ability to limit walks has been the deciding factor in his season. …. Offensively, the biggest blow came on a three-run home run by Santiago Vargas. Vargas’ blast turned a close 3-2 game into a 6-2 rout. The 18-year-old from Colombia signed in January 2025, but this is his professional debut season. The homer was also Vargas’ first hit in more than a week. He is now hitting .243 with a .702 OPS in his first season of affiliated baseball. … The other standout was Jesmaylin Arias. Unlike Vargas, the 19-year-old made his ACL debut last season. Arias collected three hits on Tuesday, including a pair of doubles. After hitting .178 with a .566 OPS last season, he has taken a significant step forward in 2026, batting .246 with 17 extra-base hits, a .835 OPS, and 40 games played.