The biggest news to come from the Padres minor league affiliates was that catcher Ethan Salas will likely not play again during this season. Due to the delayed healing that has occurred with the stress reaction in his lower back, Salas will be brought along slowly and will probably see action in the Fall League. Salas, the Padres #2 prospect per MLB.com, has not played since May and only had 32 at-bats before the injury.
The top 30 prospect re-rankings for the Padres have been posted on MLB.com. There
has been no change with shortstop Leo De Vries or catcher Ethan Salas. RHP Braden Nett has jumped up to 3 with RHP Miguel Mendez also moving up, to 7. Both have had outstanding 2025 seasons so far and very likely will be in the plans for the Padres next season. Ryan Bergert is also a top 10 prospect, coming in at 9.
After De Vries and Salas, the highest ranked position player is infielder Cobb Hightower at 8. He is currently playing shortstop for Lake Elsinore with a .209 average in 139 at-bats. This is his first full season after being drafted and signed in 2024.
El Paso Chihuahuas
With a 52-47 record, the Chihuahuas rank 3rd in the East division of the Pacific Coast League. Catcher Luis Campusano has cooled off a bit with his bat but still hits better than he has been able to accomplish with the major league team. It seems obvious at this point that the organization does not view any position player with El Paso as a viable candidate to help the major league team.
Starter Matt Waldron has pitched well and sits with a 3.79 ERA over 40.1 innings pitched. He has 37 K/14 BB and remains a candidate for rotation depth this season.
San Antonio Missions
The Missions sit at 50-43, second in the South division of the Texas League. Starters Henry Baez and Braden Nett have pitched well overall. Baez has a 1.96 ERA in 91.2 IP, which is best in the Texas League. Nett has a 3.53 ERA in 71.1 IP, and both have more than 80 strikeouts for the season.
DH/LF Albert Fabian has only 42 at-bats with the Missions after completing his rehab with the ACL Padres but he is hitting .323 with a .926 OPS to get started. Outfielder Jake Snyder has hit .333 with a .871 OPS in 18 at-bats since his promotion. 1B Romeo Sanabria has cooled off from his quick start to the season. He is currently hitting .283 with a .744 OPS, he has 9 home runs and 43 RBI. He sits at #20 in the Padres prospect list.
Fort Wayne TinCaps
Currently 46-46, Fort Wayne is fifth in the East division of the Midwest League. RHP Eric Yost continues to pitch above expectations with a 2.89 ERA in 87.1 IP. He has 87 K/ 33 BB for the season. RHP Miguel Mendez has made a quick rise through the Padres rankings this season due to his 1.46 ERA in 55.1 IP with 27 K/ 7 BB for his time with the TinCaps. He is Rule 5 draft eligible after this season and should be considered a likely candidate for the roster and a solid tryout for the rotation next spring.
Shortstop Leo De Vries continues to be the youngest member of the league and has had some serious struggles both offensively and defensively. He has begun to respond to the challenge within the last month, swinging the bat better and cutting down on the defensive miscues. He currently sits with a .244 average and .753 OPS with 18 doubles, 4 triples, 7 home runs and 45 RBI in 295 at-bats.
Lake Elsinore Storm
The Storm has a 43-50 record, good for 4th in the South Division of the California League. The Padres #5 and #6 prospects, Kash Mayfield and Boston Bateman, have had a good start to their pro careers. Bateman sits at 68.1 IP with a 4.08 ERA. He has 75 K to go with 25 BB. Periodic bouts with command have elevated his ERA.
Kash Mayfield developed a sore shoulder part way through the season and has been limited to 36.1 IP with a 3.22 ERA. He has 55 K to 19 BB and will continue to have his innings closely monitored this season.
Infielder Yimy Tovar was promoted from the ACL team and has had 22 at bats with the Storm. He has a .401 average and should be watched to see if he can repeat the surge he had before his promotion. Shortstop Ryan Jackson is a contact hitter that also has some pop and has impressed so far this season. He has a .298 average and .860 OPS in 225 at bats with 33 RBI.
ACL Padres
With a 14-46 record, the Rookie League team has struggled throughout their season. The pitching has been disappointing with many of their arms sitting close to the bottom of the league rankings for ERA. When they aren’t being blown out via poor pitching, the underperforming offense lets them down. Recently promoted Yimy Tovar led with a .301 average before his departure. Now 2B Luis De Leon leads the team with a .293 average and .778 OPS with 24 RBI.
There could be an influx of players from the draft as all 19 drafted players and 11 non-drafted free agents have joined the organization. Many will begin their careers soon with the rookie league in Arizona.
More from gaslampball.com:
