5:15pm: The Padres announced that they have officially selected Rodriguez to the roster. Lefty Kyle Hart was optioned to Triple-A El Paso as the corresponding move.
10:15am: The Padres are calling up bullpen prospect Bradgley Rodriguez, reports Daniel Alvarez Montes of El Extra Base. He’s not on the 40-man roster, so they’ll need to formally select his contract. San Diego currently has three vacancies on their 40-man roster, however, so only a corresponding active roster move will be needed.
The 21-year-old Rodriguez will jump straight from Double-A to the big leagues. He’s appeared in 18 games this season and totaled 22 1/3 innings with a 3.22 ERA, a massive 34.8% strikeout rate and just a 5.6% walk rate. That walk rate, in particular, represents a massive step forward for a pitcher who issued a free pass to 12.2% of his opponents last year.
Both Baseball America and MLB.com ranked Rodriguez 14th among Padres prospects entering the season. His heater sits in the upper 90s and climbs as high as 101 mph, and he keeps lefties off balance with a plus changeup in the upper 80s/low 90s that both outlets tout as his best pitch. Rodriguez also works a slider into his arsenal, but it’s a third pitch that he rarely throws to lefties, per BA’s scouting report.
Rodriguez adds a high-octane arm to a bullpen that already ranks ninth in the majors with a 3.39 ERA and seventh with a combined 24.2% strikeout rate. The promising young righty will make his MLB debut the first time he’s called into a game by skipper Mike Shildt, though given his pedigree, he’ll have a chance to make a lasting impression and carve out a long-term role. Rodriguez has been sidelined by elbow injuries in the past during his minor league tenure, but he was dominant in 61 1/3 frames last year and has been excellent so far in 2025. The Friars control him for six full seasons (at least) beyond the current campaign.
Love it!
why?
Probably to give some of the other guys some rest.
A candidate for the “Birth certificate transcription error” team
Nice!
Hopefully he is Wandy BP Peralta’s replacement.
JM – not sure why the hate on Wandy. 23 appearances and only had 1 where he was blown up. He has his role as a middle inning, 2 inning guy that saves Morejon or others in appropriate settings.
My guess is that someone (and it could be Wandy) needs a little IL rest vacation. Probably a righty though. Hoeing must not be ready or he would have been the logical call up.
Wandy’s ERA is only 4 because a lot of the runners he lets score aren’t his. If you leave a runner on first and see Wandy coming in from the pen you know that runner is going to score and count against you. He is a garbage time pitcher, the guy you throw out there down by 7 in the seventh so you don’t have to use a real pitcher. When he came in the other day up by one I knew they were cooked, if I know it Schildt had to know it.
JM allowing inherited runners to score is definitely not good but hey, he didn’t put them on so it ain’t all on the guy coming in. Especially, if no out or 1 out.
If you are talking about the 10-8 Florida fiasco, he didn’t let (or allow) all 10 of those runs so, not sure how you count that all against Wandy. Might have been some RISP that some guys failed to knock in too, not his fault either.
As I said, he has a role in BP to avoid using Morejon or Estrada, etc. if you think he is only garbage time well, that isn’t so far off of what I’m saying. I just think you are a little too far on your judgment.
You are right, Peralta is a garbage time pitcher. Of the 23 appearances he has made, 13 were when the team was already behind. 5 were when the team had leads of 4 runs or more. Only 2 were in tie games and the slashline against him in tie games is .000/.250/.000/.250.
The situation matters when you talk about inherited runners. He entered the game with baserunners in 9 games. Of the 12 inherited runners, 9 have been in scoring position with less than 2 outs when Peralta entered the game. MLB average is that 51% of those baserunners score. 6 of those 12 baserunners were on 3rd base with less than 2 outs when Peralta entered the game. According to John Dewan, 68% of runners on 3rd base with less than 2 outs score. In 3 games he entered with 2 baserunners in scoring position and less than 2 outs. In the game where he gave up 6 runs, he entered the game with 1 out and the bases loaded after Shildt had Morejon intentionally walked Paul Goldschmidt. Then Shildt left Peralta in the game after giving up a walk and a double because they had no relievers that had not thrown at least 3 times in the previous 4 games.
Peralta has allowed 7 of the 12 inherited runners to score. 58% which, considering the situations when he entered games, is about what should be expected.
Situational awareness matters. Look deeper.
Morgan being sent back down probably.
Outside of a 3-game stretch on that Yankees-Rockies road trip when he totally lost his command, Peralta has pitched very well. Take out that one game at Yankee stadium and he has a 2.35 ERA. In that game Shildt left him in to take a beating because there was no one left in the bullpen after they had used 4 relievers in each of the previous 4 nights in a row.
Hate it!
Penetrating analysis. Thank you.
Rodriguez is a multi-inning capable reliever that sits in the upper 90s and regularly hits triple digits. His most effective pitch is a bugs bunny change up and he also has a slider that sometimes is plus and every so often gets him in trouble. He has had trouble in just two games this year giving up 2 ER and 5 ER respectively. In both games he lost command of his slider and gave up strings of hits.
Soso it!
Per Acee, the Padres are promoting Leo De Vries to play against Pittsburgh on Friday!!! Wow, what a jump!!!
Is he starting pitcher or catcher?
Speaking of starting pitchers, Waldron is making his last start of his rehab assignment tonight. Wonder if Hart is sent down to make room for him?
I think during this stretch of 22 in 23 days there will be a shuffle of Hart, Kolek, Waldron and possibly even Yu and King back just to give rest. Also, a few days mixed in where only 4 SP on roster carrying a fresh RP, then drop the RP for say, Waldron to come up, then Waldron drops and 4 days later bring Yu, etc., to keep both BP and SP fresh. Wolf or Bergert might even get a start. There are enough SP and BP options where the 15 day recall isn’t a problem.
As long as King and / or Yu are back during this stretch, all should be well enough.
Nope. sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/05/30/the-padres-202…
Readers added context they thought people might want to know:
Kevin Acee did not say anything about the Padres calling up Leo de Vries to play against PIttsburgh on Friday, May 30. In fact, he has only mentioned him on Twitter once, in passing on February 23rd.
Was going to be Rule 5 eligible this offseason so this kills that bird.
Which is good because I REALLY HATE birds!
Bra-Rod, check. Next man up Tyson Neighbors,
I’m also ok with some more Bergert.
I like em both though I wish at least one was LH
actually, next up is likely to be Hoeing
35% K-rate at double-A? I feel bad for the batters he faces.
Get him up, he’s actually 26.
Welcome to the show Baggersley!
yo I have MLB OOTP 26 go, and I skipped Bradgley Rodriguez from going to AAA too 😂😂😂😭
I think Rodriguez call up could be way to showcase him. An electric young arm like that is valuable to non contenders. Wouldn’t be shocked if he is a key piece in deal to acquire a LF bat…
Possible, but also possible if Rodriguez or Morgan show over the next 6 wks that they can be dominant relievers, it frees up a bigger piece of our bullpen to be traded for LF help.