San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: August 14

Salt Lake Bees 8, Chihuahuas 2

Key Statistics: DH Ethan Salas 2-for-4, 2B, RBI; RF Nick Solak 1-for-3, R, BB; 3B Will Wagner 0-for-1, 3 BB; RHP Joe Musgrove (L, 0-1) 4.2 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, BB, 5 K; RHP Daison Acosta 2.1 IP, H, 2 K; RHP Hunter Stratton, IP, BB

Prospect Watch: The El Paso offense struggled Friday, notching just two hits in a loss against Salt Lake at home. … The storyline in this one was the progress of rehabbing veteran Joe Musgrove, who made his third rehab start. Musgrove’s stat line wasn’t great – he allowed five runs on nine hits in just 4.2 innings before departing. However, the results aren’t that important. The former Grossmont High star stretched out to 70 pitches and displayed good stuff. In fact, he touched 97 mph with his fastball and hit 95-96 mph several times. He averaged 93 mph with his fastball in 2024, the last time he threw a big league pitch. He also filled the zone with his four-seamer and sinker, helping him get plenty of chases the rest of the night. Musgrove may need one more start, but his progress is encouraging. A healthy Musgrove down the stretch would be quite the boon for a team currently in a playoff position. … After Musgrove departed, righty Daison Acosta took over and fired 2.1 innings. He allowed a hit and struck out two. The minor league veteran signed a big league deal in the offseason, but was outrighted off the 40-man roster early in the spring. He spent most of the season on the injured list but has settled into the El Paso bullpen. He has a 6.91 ERA with as many walks (11) as strikeouts in 14.1 innings.  … At the plate, Ethan Salas was the only Chihuahuas hitter to notch two hits. Salas started as the designated hitter and had a single and a double. The 20-year-old catcher has been spectacular in a small sample since his promotion to Triple-A. Sure, the 1.053 OPS is impressive, but the other underlying numbers have been incredible. In 60 plate appearances, Salas has struck out in just 11% of the time while carrying a 13% walk rate. That success has been fueled by a chase rate below 25% and a stellar 8.4% whiff rate. It’s not uncommon to see an OPS north of .900 in the PCL, but Salas’ discipline, especially considering he is just 20 years old, has been extremely encouraging. The young catcher is putting himself in the conversation for a call-up in September. 

Roster Move: The organization released 29-year-old lefty Miguel Cienfuegos from the El Paso roster. The Canadian didn’t get his first affiliated contract until 2023, after multiple years working in independent leagues, Australia, and even a semi-pro circuit. He posted a 7.35 ERA in 31 games this season. 

Frisco RoughRiders 14, Missions 12 

Key Statistics: SS Ryan Jackson, 2-for-5, 2 R, BB; RF-LF Alex McCoy, 4-for-5, 3 R, 2 HR (1,2), 4 RBI; CF-RF Braedon Karpathios, 3-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR (13, 14), 6 RBI, BB; 3B Luis Verdugo, 2-for-5, R, HR (8), RBI; LF Albert Fabian, 2-for-4, R, HR (8), RBI, SB (9); LHP Jamie Hitt, 5 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 5 K; RHP Garrett Hawkins (L, 0-1) 0.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER

Prospect Watch: The Missions and RoughRiders played an absolute wild one in Frisco, as the two teams combined to club 10 homers. While the Missions outhomered the RoughRiders six to four, Frisco scored six runs in the bottom of the eighth for a come-from-behind victory. … Alex McCoy, who was promoted earlier in the day, had a Texas League debut to remember. He had four hits, including a pair of homers and a double. He also drove in four runs and scored three times. McCoy has two multi-homer games this month – one with Fort Wayne and Friday’s power display. The 24-year-old has 17 homers this season and needs three more to post a 20-20 season. There are still some holes in McCoy’s swing, but he’s fun to watch when everything clicks. … Braedon Karpathios also added his own multi-homer game, which included a sixth-inning grand slam. It was Karpathios’ first multi-homer game since last May, when he hit a pair of homers for Fort Wayne, driving in six runs as well. The left-handed hitting Karpathios now has 16 homers this season, one shy of the career-high he set last year. The 23-year-old has been streaky this season, and right now he is on an absolute heater. In 12 August games, Karpathios is hitting an absurd .455/.547/.841 with four homers and 16 RBI. Overall, the Pennsylvania native has a wRC+ of 107 for San Antonio this season. He will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft this winter, though he his a low-likelihood target. … Luis Verdugo hit his eighth homer in the victory. The sixth-inning blast set a new career high for the 25-year-old. Overall, the minor league veteran has a .692 OPS for the Missions in his first year in the system. … Bernard Jose was trusted with a four-run lead in the eighth, but allowed a pair of singles before surrendering a three-run shot. He recorded a groundout before giving up one more hit. Garrett Hawkins was called on to slam the door, but he could not succeed in his mission. The British Columbia native surrendered back-to-back homers to seal the loss Friday. The 26-year-old broke out last season, pitching to a 1.50 ERA between Fort Wayne and San Antonio. This season, walks and a velocity drop have absolutely killed Hawkins. Last season, he walked 23 batters in 60 innings. In 2026, he had 26 batters in 23.1 innings with El Paso before being sent back to the Texas League. While the walks have been in check with the Missions (five in 15 innings), opposing batters are hitting .317 against Hawkins – surprisingly 100 points higher than they did in the PCL. Coming into Friday’s matchup, Texas League hitters were hitting .416 on balls in play against him, so hopefully he’s due for some positive regression. 

Roster Move: McCoy’s promotion to San Antonio coincided with outfielder Jake Cunningham hitting the seven-day injured list. 

Quad Cities River Bandits 5, TinCaps 4

Key Statistics: 2B Rosman Verdugo 1-for-4, HR (13), 3 RBI; DH Robbie Lavey 1-for-4, HR (1); C Lamar King Jr. 2-for-4, 2B; 1B Luke Cantwell 1-for-3, BB; RHP Carson Montgomery 4 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K; RHP Winyer Chourio 4 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 BB, 4 K; RHP Sean Barnett (L, 0-1) 0.0 IP, H, ER, BB

Prospect Watch: After field issues prevented the TinCaps from playing the last two days, they returned to play on Friday and couldn’t hold a ninth-inning lead, losing on the road to the Royals’ High-A squad. … Robbie Lavey, in the lineup at designated hitter, connected on his first professional homer in his second game. The fourth-rounder played collegiately at George Washington University, where he was a member of the Atlantic 10 All-Conference second team. He hit eight homers and drove in a team-high 37 runs. … Rosman Verdugo connected on his 13th homer, tying the career-high he set last year in Fort Wayne. Verdugo has cut his K-rate down from 32.2% last season to 23.8% this season. Despite the progress in his approach, his wRC+ has dropped from 104 last year to just 87 this year. He’s hitting just .263 on balls in play this year. In a full season of play, he’s never posted a BABIP below .297. … Carson Montgomery and Winyer Chourio piggybacked their way to a ninth-inning lead that Sean Barnett was unable to hold. Montgomery tossed the first four innings, allowing three earned runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out four. Montgomery was drafted by the Padres in 2023 and came into this year having thrown just 7 innings professionally, due to Tommy John surgery early in 2024. He got off to a hot start this season, pitching to a 1.98 ERA through May. Since then, he’s been hit hard. Including Friday, the former Florida State righty has a 6.97 ERA over his last 11 starts. He’s been hit especially hard away from Parkview Field, where he has a 2.95 ERA, compared to a 6.50 mark on the road. … Chourio took over for Montgomery and pitched his best game since his debut with the TinCaps. The Venezuelan native tossed four innings, allowing just one run on three hits. He walked two and struck out four. After looking dominant with the Storm to start the year, the 22-year-old has mostly struggled in the Midwest League. He allowed at least three earned runs in his previous six starts. Friday’s outing lowered his ERA to 8.53.

Storm 12, Inland Empire 66ers 4

Key Statistics: 3B Nu’u Contrades 2-for-5, 2 R, 2B, BB; CF Alex Conover 2-for-5, R, 3 RBI; SS Jorge Quintana 1-for-4, HR (6), 3 RBI, BB, SB (25); C Truitt Madonna 2-for-4, R, HR (4), BB, RBI; LF Qrey Lott 2-for-3, 3 R, HR (7), RBI, 2 BB, SB (21); RHP Victor Lizarraga 3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 6 K; LHP Adler Cecil (W, 1-0) 4 IP, H, 1 R (0 ER), BB, 7 K

Prospect Watch: The Storm smacked three homers and cruised to a win against the 66ers. … Qrey Lott had a pair of hits, including his seventh homer of the season. The 21-year-old has been streaky this season, but overall, he’s produced an .801 OPS. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, he has plenty of athleticism in his wiry frame. He’s shown the ability to get on base and has impressive bat speed. … Jorge Quintana connected on his sixth homer in the win. After a huge July, the 19-year-old shortstop is hitting .206/.341/.355 this month. He continues to do almost all of his damage from the left side, where he’s had 22 of his 26 extra-base hits. … Alex Conover had a pair of hits in the win while scoring a run. The 20-year-old out of Oklahoma State has an .849 OPS since joining the Storm. He was drafted with the pick San Diego received as compensation for Dylan Cease signing with Toronto in the off-season. … Righty Victor Lizarraga made his first start in a Storm uniform since 2022 and tossed three innings. He allowed a two-run homer in the first inning before settling in. Overall, he allowed three hits and three earned runs. He struck out six batters. The 22-year-old was once one of the top prospects in the Padres’ system, but he’s had a miserable 2026 campaign. He struggled to throw strikes with the Missions, walking 49 batters in 68 innings. That led to a 6.35 ERA and a demotion all the way to the complex. Lizarraga hasn’t added much velocity since his Lake Elsinore debut four years ago. He doesn’t turn 23 until November, but will be heading into his final year before minor league free agency.

Roster Move: Lizarraga was activated as righty Michael Salina was placed on the injured list. The hard-throwing righty, who was also shut down for two months earlier this year as he tries to work back from Tommy John surgery prior to last year’s draft, He left an outing last week with continued soreness in his arm, but after visiting the Padres’ medical staff, he resumed throwing bullpens this week. He may not see action again until instructional league. 

The Padres also came to terms with Brent Honeywell on a minor league deal. The righty, who contributed to the 2023 big league staff, hasn’t been in a professional game since he appeared in the 2024 World Series for Los Angeles. He went to minor league spring training with the Giants this year, but was released before the season began and had been working on his own. He will initially report to Peoria, but should join El Paso’s tattered pitching staff quickly.