The Padres announced that they have promoted young catcher Luis Campusano to the majors. He’ll serve as their designated hitter against the Athletics on Friday, Dennis Lin of The Athletic tweets. In other moves, San Diego transferred left-hander Jose Castillo to the 45-day injured list and placed righty Luis Perdomo on the 10-day IL with forearm discomfort.
The 21-year-old Campusano is one of many standout youngsters in the San Diego organization. Thanks in part to a consistently elite farm system, the Padres have finally begun to realize their vast potential this season. The club has stormed to a 23-16 record, good for the No. 1 wild-card spot in the National League, as it seeks to break a 13-year playoff drought.
While the Padres have been a pleasant surprise as a whole, they’ve received little production from their catchers, who rank toward the bottom of the majors in offense. As a result, general manager A.J. Preller has made a few notable changes to the position in recent days. Leading up to Monday’s trade deadline, the Padres shipped out the light-hitting Austin Hedges and acquired both Jason Castro and Austin Nola. So, it’s unclear how much time Campusano will receive behind the plate in 2020 (or at DH, for that matter, as the Padres also landed Mitch Moreland during an aggressive deadline), though the right-handed swinger at least looks capable of serving as a long-term weapon for the team.
A second-round pick of the Padres in 2017, Campusano reached High-A for the first time a season ago and slashed .325/.396/.509 with 15 home runs and nearly as many walks (52) as strikeouts (57). Since then, the likes of ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel (No. 33), FanGraphs (40), Keith Law of The Athletic (42), MLB.com (52) and Baseball America (85) have all ranked Campusano among the game’s 100 best prospects. McDaniel, the most bullish of the bunch, wrote that Campusano “has a plus arm” behind the plate and “plus contact skills” as a hitter, though he could trade some contact for more power as he progresses.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Advanced bat
no, just dumb move
Why???
How is it dumb? It is September. In the past a bunch of prospect would get a month of service time, then be back in AAA to start the next season. Why not do the same thing with a guy who you think can produce this year?
Because they have a bunch of prospects that are going to be eligible for the Rule 5 draft this winter and Campy wasn’t one of them and because they already have 3 catchers on the major league roster/IL.
Come on wcr they now have two catchers one is a utility player and Mejia who is broken
Sooooo many good young prospects.
I don’t understand this move right now.
You have three catchers already. Why start his clock right now?
Are they planning on utilizing Nola in LF? Because they have Moreland at DH, Nola at catcher, and Cron at 2nd.
I feel like their team had more balance before the Nola trade
I just don’t get where he will play.
Nola, Mejia, Castro already at catcher
Can’t move Nola to 2nd because of Cron
Can’t move Nola to 1sr because Hosmer and Moreland
Nola is a catcher, maybe some infield – and Castro is a fine backup. I don’t get it either except the regular cup of coffee we are used to seeing to reward his good play – which nobody has seen. Otherwise, maybe one of the new catchers is injured or getting ready to go on the IL.
lots of not smart moves by fairs
Boo hoo
Not smart moves? They are the top WC team in the NL.
i feel the same
Should this team even care about a clock? You get him for six full years and probably have to trade a number of players over the years to keep the cap under luxury tax. Regardless you’re gonna pay him hundreds of thousands maybe a few million more if you start him today and not next year.
If it helps win a World Series, don’t be cheap just try to win.
yes. this isnt a Gavin Lux or Walker Buehler situation where the guy is clearly ready to step in. saying “who carea about the clock” is a good way to waste money. unless he actually provides solid value then its a relatively useless waste of a year of control.
Nah
They can send him down to AAA next season and his clock stops. September call ups have been a thing since forever. This is no different.
The Padres are starting their competitive window right now. They traded for Clevinger and Nola this year. They started Tatis’s and Paddack’s clocks last year. They have 4-5 years to be competitive. Might as well bring in all their top guys now.
@Steve Nebraska two problems with that.
1. The only reason his clock would matter is if he’s good. And if he’s good and they send him down the MLBPA might have something to say about it.
2. If they call him up and then send him down it burns an option year. Whereas if they just keep him down it burns no option year.
and rarely are September call ups guys coming up two levels. sometimes guys may skip AAA, but two levels has been mostly unheard of prior to this year. (with a few outliers, of course) And my concern here is – takes a Rule 5 protection spot away, promoting him too quickly could harm his development, and you’re using a roster spot on a catcher with no high minors experience when you have 3 others on the roster. just let that sink in and tell me the last time that last scenario has happened, because i bet it never has, and if it has I bet it didnt work out as planned.
@Javia and how did starting Tatis and Paddack’s clocks early work out for them?
Umm…they seem to be doing awesome?
I meant how did it work out for the Padres as a whole?
Oh and are you trying to say that Tatis and Paddack would have busted if Preller had waited two extra weeks to call them up? Cuz that is the only way your comment holds any water.
@darkside I was going to respond to you with earnest but with the “just let that sink in” comment, you can eat my shorts
I think this year has been Campusano’s AA time.
right. im the one not being civil in this conversation.
Campusano hasn’t even seen AA. That’s the biggest step in development, and the steepest part of the learning curve. Preller needs to figure that out.
they are not worried about his service time or options. He is a ML player regardless. If he performs well, this could be his new home.
Perhaps they want to see if they will need to re-sign Jason Castro for next year or not. Maybe they just want another bat.
Trust me. They won’t.
Because they wanna win
I get the “they want to win” argument.
What I don’t get is where you play him?
Can someone answer that?
If you play him at catcher, why trade for Nola?
If you play him at DH, why trade for Moreland?
He can DH against a lefty. Get reps at catcher. Castro is decent but he isn’t a great hitter. Campusano gives them a RH bat on the bench now that they have moved France and they can use Nola as a super utility player. There are a lot of ways to use him and it beats taking reps off the same 8 pitchers over and over again at the alt site.
Nebraska Steve understands unlike most on here
Campusano could be used in R/L DH match ups, the same when he starts as a catcher.
i dont see how promoting a guy from A+ to the Majors with less then a month to get acclimated really helps the team, especially given they already have 3 catchers on the 40.
Mejia is hurt, Campy can DH platoon with Mitch and play solid catcher w/ plus arm when needed, Nola is a good catcher that plays a great utility man, Castro can still serve as a tertiary option if need be. Campy can contribute now and September coffee always tastes great! Campusano has been mashing at USD and I’m stoked he’s on the team now.
You’re all assuming this prospec from A-ball can hit big league pitching, and catch at a big league standard. That’s just insane.
Tell us more about his amazing growth at the alternate site this year…
Not that you can draw a ton of conclusions from one game but I think yesterday’s lineup was too many LH hitters, which did not workout well, and they want to see if they can get another solid RH bat in the lineup.
Their roster construction is kind of wild, 2 true OF and 3 catchers. Don’t see that a lot…
Funny as for years they’ve been desperate to get more LH hitters into the lineup as they’ve had a lack of them.
When was Preller EVER praisdd for his roster construction and management?
Never.
Oldest looking 21 year old I have ever seen
I like it cause they aren’t very good against lefty bats right now and they need a good right handed hitter. And you could always dh Nola and have campusano catcch
i highly doubt most of these promotions from mid-low minors will work for the Padres
Wow. As good as the Padres are doing this year, there seem to be so many fans on this site who know so much more about roster construction and how to handle that roster than the experts do. That’s interesting.
That’s so silly. So fans can’t give their opinion on a baseball site? We aren’t experts, but we invest time and money into teams and we want to see what them do their best.
It’s fun to be a fan and that means we can critics and praise
and its not like these moves always work. sometimes GMs fall flat on their faces promoting a guy too quickly and ruining him. if GMs were infallible then maybe, but I reserve the right to provide a critique given they arent.
Im no expert but I can tell you, you don’t need 4 catchers on the roster.
There are only 3 catchers Landcrab. Mejia is at the alternate site.
he’s still on the 40 and could easily be brought back up.
Yes, and he will stay on our 40 for the foreseeable future.
Mejia also plays outfield, maybe we need help there before Pham is ready! He needs to get his thumb straightened out first, literally! Haha
Last game of the year, Brent, can’t hold anything back.
i also like how MLB.com has gotten so excited about this Pads A’s series like its the World Series. Two great teams, but both so inflated by hype. Pads are still only the 2nd best team in their own division and the A’s can only last so long with their SP woes. (and people like to pick them because they think its the geeky or interesting pick. that and moneyball)
Dodgers are in a league of their own. Not much we can really do about that.
except the Padres play the Dodgers. they can play them and beat them. they actually have a lot they can dl about that. more then at least 25 other teams in baseball can.
No, the Dodgers WERE in a league of their own. Then the Padres rifted through the ether. The Padres are scary good. You can laugh but the Padres are capable of taking the Dodgers.
Only way the Dodgers lose is if they beat themselves again. They’re better than everyone, even a healthy Yankees team
Doesnt mean they cant lose a series.
FWIW, the Dodgers haven’t even lost 2 straight games THIS YEAR yet
Mighty big talk from the hot and cold Padres. All our high A prospects will do it! In unison! Lmao
Uh, yes they have. And it was to the Padres.
Wrong.
7/25 and 7/26 they lost against the Giants
8/10 and 8/11 they lost against the Padres again
They’ve lost 2 straight twice this year.
Actually the Padres would have taken 3 out of 4 if Tingler didn’t use Stammen against them. The Dodgers are very good but the Padres are closing the gap and with the trade deadline improvements can beat the Dodgers in a series
The Dodgers can most certainly lose. All teams lose at least some games, even the truly great teams. And anything can happen in a short series.
I cam easily see the Padres beating the Dodgers. Its baseball, anything can happen. Plus, this team is a much stronger team than the last time they both met.
Why so serious?
i dont comment on this site to be wishy washy. i truely believe what i mean. no reason to not be “serious.”
Padres/A’s nice matchup and fun clubs.
All the pressure in the World for the Dodgers. They better win and not choke again.
Whatever happened to Torrens the Catcher got from Yankees in the Rule 5 draft
He’s in Seattle now
Yep
Prob the 5th or 6th best Luis in MLB today
I wouldn’t overthink this call up – Campusano gets exposed to a MLB playoff atmosphere, obviously in odd circumstances, in a year he maybe stuck not playing anywhere – might as well be idle with the big league squad than at home.
Pure desperation. Almost lost 2 games to angels and going on a rough stretch against quality teams. Padres bullpen is suspect at best.
You showing up in the comment section of every Padres article to tell everybody how much they suck says a lot more about you than it does about the Padres. I think you should look in the mirror if you want to see what desperation really looks like.
Sour grapes
Dodgers are toast.
Dodgers are 30-10, having won 18 of their last 21, +102 run differential after 40 games. Best statistical pitching staff, arguably the best offense. Haven’t lost a series all year. Six game lead with 20 games to go, for the team that has won 7 division races in a row.
But yeah, they’re in trouble. No, excuse me, not just in trouble, they’re “toast.”
the dodgers are going down. We have more talent, more confidence, and more energy.
Can’t wait to take down LA in the playoffs
We?
Yes we. Did they stutter?
Don’t be that guy.
Fans contribute to the team in their own way.
Seattle literally has the #12 and retired the #12 jersey for the fans and refer to their fans as the 12th man.
The Dodgers can’t close the deal.
Campusano goes yard for all you negative Nancys!!!
Pretty good debut for the young man. Struck out a few times yes, but still hit a bomb and scored twice. I’ll take it.
Profar did in his debut too
Profar has been great lately
Profar’s hitting .218.
Do you have any idea how many players have hit home runs in their debut games? Do you have any idea how many of those players were never heard from again?
In other words, it doesn’t mean a thing.
This guy hasn’t even hit AA and we have people thinking he’s gonna DH in a major league lineup and be a successful bat? Hahahahaha
Look at Jo Adell. And he already hit AA. Foolish way to potentially ruin a great prospect
He’s been in camp. It’s September. Had he had a successful year at AA he would have received a September call up.
Theyre going to use him against lefties. He may get an occasional start, against lefties…..and then hopefully proceed to start at AA and go to AAA if there is a minor league season next year.
But thanks for offering your extensive experience working in the player development department……which team did you work for again?
1 for 3 with hbp…scored 2 runs and homered.
You are right though, not perfect.
Profar has been great lately
Profar has been better. Great would translate a bit better in his numbers.
its possible he is here to stay. Nola, Campusano, Mejia. Any of the 3 can catch, Nola can play several other positions, and each can DH. You go into 2021 with the best depth at catcher in baseball.
Odd move. Hasn’t played above High A ball. He’d have been in AA this year, with maybe a cup of coffee at the end in AAA this season if all went well, but all didn’t go well. The season never happened, so developmentally he’s a high-A catcher with a missed season. I’m sure he was getting fine coaching at the alternate site, but that’s not the same as real game action. He’s likely back in the minors in 2021, with his arbitration clock now ticking. The biggest issue is Preller just used a valuable 40-man roster spot heading into an off-season when they’ll be important. Obviously, the Padres have thought this through and figure he’ll be making contributions in 2021, even if he’s in the minors. The AAA catcher is the backup to the two catchers on the MLB roster, so he will need to be added to the 40-man at some point. Figured they’d wait until next season for that.
I saw I tweet from a Padres beat reporter saying in 65 game ABs at the alternate site he hit 7 HR. Obviously that’s no replacement for a minor league season, but if he’s crushing the ball off Gore, Weathers etc… and your weakness is LH pitching, he might be the next best RH bat in your organization so if they’re trying to win now it makes some sense.
They can DH him against lefties or even let him catch and Nola play 2B. I think part of this equation is how they view Nola as a catcher plus utility IF. With 3 catchers they can afford to play him elsewhere.
Even saying that though, in 2021 Campusano could be the #2 catcher on the depth chart because Castro is a FA and Mejia’s approach at the plate is way off. Unless they went out and signed a FA it was virtually guaranteed they were going to have to add him to the 40 man for next year anyways.
I doubt Mejia will be up again. Even before the injury his hitting was suspect this year. If Campusano is able to contribute more (against lefty’s), plays better defensive, and is the catcher oof the future (he is for now), then play him. He gains experience against major leaguers in MLB games, and playoff experience for future years! It’s about the long term dividends and I’ll trust the Front office staff (mostly) know what they are doing! Nuff said
HR in his first game for his first MLB hit. Nice job, kid!
I thought the first 2 teams from each division entered the post season, plus 2 wild cards. The Padres are in 2nd in the NL West and #3 isn’t close, but I keep seeing them referred to as the #1 wild card. What am I missing?
They’re calling everyone that doesn’t win a division a Wildcard spot, so 5 Wildcards per league.
Ah… that explains it. Thanks.
Padres trying everything to win Now!
This move is no different.
If Campusano is better than the guy they sent to Alt. Site….he’s gonna play.
No fooling around with service time on this team.
You guys just aren’t use to a team(esp the Padres) putting winning now over everything else($$).