The Padres’ minor league system is starting to churn, and the biggest headline in the latest round of movement is the end of the Triston McKenzie experiment.
San Diego took a low-risk swing on the former Cleveland Guardians starter, but the reset never really found traction. McKenzie once looked like a breakout arm after putting up a 2.96 ERA in 2022 and logging nearly 200 innings for Cleveland that season. Then came the downturn: a partially torn UCL in 2023 knocked him off track, and he never looked the same after that.
His time at Triple-A El Paso went sideways fast. The numbers told the story in brutal fashion - a 15.98 ERA, a 3.85 WHIP and 40 walks in 16 1/3 innings. That was enough for the Padres to move on.
McKenzie wasn’t the only name on the move. Kannon Kemp has been reinstated from the IL and is joining Fort Wayne.
Johan Moreno picked up his second promotion in a month and is heading to Triple-A El Paso after posting a 3.93 ERA in Double-A San Antonio. Left-handers Ryan Och and Jamie Hitt are also moving up to Double-A.
That kind of shuffle usually means more than just plugging holes. The Padres are rewarding some arms, covering innings and making the kind of internal adjustments that often come before even more roster changes.
There was also a release on the pitching side, with left-handed reliever CJ Widger let go after putting up a 6.95 ERA with 25 strikeouts over 22 innings in High-A Fort Wayne.
Another decision is coming soon with José Leclerc. San Diego signed the reliever to a minor league deal on March 27, and he is now rehabbing a right shoulder in the Arizona Complex League after surgery from the previous season. He’s on the clock after spending time on the 60-day injured list, and his rehab assignment points toward an activation decision not far off.
At his peak, Leclerc was a real late-inning force. He posted a 1.56 ERA with 85 strikeouts in 57 2/3 innings in 2018 for the Rangers, and he later played a major role in Texas’ 2023 World Series run.
With the draft signing deadline coming on July 27, the Padres’ system looks like it’s only getting started.
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Padres Draft Stakes Just Got Bigger For A.J. Preller
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That approach figures to matter again, because the Padres are not drafting simply to fill immediate holes. With so many picks and enough flexibility to maneuver, the bigger question is how aggressively they chase long-term value and how much of this class is built for the future, whether those players end up in San Diego or become the kind of assets that can be moved later. [Read more 🡒]