yes Luis Campasano Part of the Padres’ future? President of baseball operations AJ Preller says he is. “He’s definitely going to join us next year,” Preller said last month, according to Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “I hope his experience this year will help him overall as a player.”
Those words didn’t match the club’s actions, as they didn’t show much faith in him. Campusano was a top 100 prospect a few years ago. He had a cup of coffee from 2020 to 2022, but never appeared in more than 16 games in any season. He was drafted late in 2020 and didn’t use any options that year, but he burned two of his three picks the following season.
In 2023, he was ranked among the major league clubs all year but spent most of the time on the injured list. He was only healthy enough to play 49 games but posted a huge .319/.356/.491 line and 133 wRC+ in that sample. His defensive results aren’t great, but his offense is certainly attractive. His batting average in the game was on the high side at .331, but he also had a strikeout rate of only 12.1%, meaning he was putting the ball in play quite often.
However, the following season was disappointing. He appeared in 91 games, his most in his major league career to date. His hitting luck reversed, and his BABIP dropped to .240. It’s not just luck, as his average exit velocity, barrel rate and slugging rate are all down compared to last season. He finished the year with a .227/.281/.361 line and an 83 wRC+. That offense would be acceptable for a glove-wearing backstop, but that’s not the case with Campasano. He had a defensive run rating of -13 and a defensive run rating of minus-17, making him one of the worst defensive catchers in the majors that year.
Understandably, this performance led to a decrease in playing time, but he remained on the roster for a while because Higashioka Kyle and Elias Dias Handle capture tasks. It seems no coincidence that the Padres optioned Campusano to the minors on Sept. 11. The option year will not be destroyed unless the player spends at least 20 days on optional tasks. When the Friars sent Campasano last year, there were 19 days left on the schedule.
That leaves Campusano still with an option until 2025, and they seem determined to use it. They re-signed Diaz and also signed Martin Maldonado Become a major league level catcher. Campasano was optioned to start the year in the minors.
On the surface, Campasano’s plan was to hone his skills in Triple-A El Paso, but the Padres also made some strange decisions under the circumstances. He was recalled in early May because the Padres had some injuries but not to any catchers, but he was optioned to return three days later. He was recalled again at the end of May and spent three weeks with the club but only made six appearances, making 14 appearances, before being optioned to return in mid-June. In July he was recalled again for a few days, when Gavin Sheets I was put on the paternity test list, only to be opted out a few days later.
Before the deadline, the Padres acquired Freddy Ferming From the Royals. Maldonado was assigned the task of putting the monks through extended training sessions with Fermin and Diaz. They re-signed Maldonado to a minor league deal in late August. At the end of September, Diaz appeared to have suffered an oblique injury and he was left out of the club’s wildcard list. Campasano was called up, but the club also optioned Maldonado back to the roster, giving them three backers for the series against the Cubs. Fermin got all the playing time behind the plate in that series.
All of this comes as Campusano crushes Triple-A pitching in 2025. He’s backed by a .370 BABIP, but his 15.2% on-base percentage and 17.3% strikeout rate are both great numbers. He hit 25 home runs in 475 games. Even in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, his .336/.441/.595 line translated to a 148 wRC+.
Despite the impressive numbers, the Padres kept him in El Paso for the most part. When they called on him, he barely played. They haven’t held him behind in the majors at any time this year. They continued to roll with Diaz, Fermin and Maldonado, although none of those three landed a hit. In fact, Maldonado has been one of the worst hitters in the majors for most of his career.
Both Diaz and Maldonado became free agents after the 2025 season, and Maldonado announced his retirement shortly after. That leaves Fermin and Campasano as the two receivers on the 40-man roster. Ethan Salas He is one of the club’s most promising players, but he is only 19 years old and has barely played at the high A level. He may be the future, but the promotion in 2026 will be ambitious.
Campuzano is now 27 and has no other options, which means he can no longer be easily shipped to El Paso. In fact, he was arbitration-eligible a year ago as a Super Two player, so the Friars are paying him $1MM in 2025. With him playing virtually no major league games this year, MLBTR writer Matt Swartz projects he will earn the same salary in 2026. Friday is the non-tender deadline, giving the Padres more time to decide whether to offer him a contract again.
The Padres clearly don’t believe Campasano will be a major league catcher in 2025. At no point did they move him back to that spot, instead opting for the light-hitting veteran. They presumably still hope to make him a long-term catcher, as they have him playing there in Triple-A while also seeing some time at first base. However, they also interrupted his Triple-A routine with sporadic call-ups and little playing time. If they’re committed to maximizing his glove in 2025, these recalls would seem odd.
If Campasano does make it through the winter and practices with the Padres in 2026, will he be the backup catcher? If he’s going to be more of a first base/DH combination, they’ll probably need to add a veteran backer, which isn’t an ideal roster structure. And it costs millions of dollars even for veterans who don’t have many advantages. For example, last offseason they had to give Diaz $3.5MM in guaranteed money. That’s not a lot in baseball terms, but it’s notable for a club that continues to worry about payroll.
There is controversy over the deal for Campusano. A rebuilding club with no clear solution, like the Nationals or Twins, could take on him. One of the clubs could give Campasano a run at receiver and see what happens. However, they’re unlikely to give up much for a flyer like this.
The Padres could offer Campasano a contract and then try to get him off waivers. Since he has at least three years of service time, he has the right to decline outright assignment in favor of free agency. However, since he has less than five years of service, he must give up the remainder of his salary commitment to exercise that right. If he had been offered a contract and was expected to make around $1MM in 2026, he might take it, allowing the Padres to keep him as non-roster depth. However, given his track record and the remaining three years of control of the club, there’s no guarantee he’ll be cleared.
Put all of this together, and it seems like there’s a route the Padres should take. If anyone took Preller at his word, they already did. With a tight budget and questions in the rotation, maybe they’ll stick with Campasano and find a role for him. But they were coming off a season where, despite needing an obvious upgrade, they didn’t believe he could catch up. Even when he was called up, he didn’t get many at-bats. That doesn’t bode well for him as a starter off the bench, especially as teams typically prefer to get some defensive versatility out of the bench.
If he’s bumped off the roster, he’ll be destined to hit the trade block, the waiver wire, or maybe he’ll go untendered later in the week. If he ends up leaving San Diego, he’d be an interesting change of scenery candidate. Perhaps his status will become clearer in the coming days.
Photos by Mark J. Rebilas, Image Images
