Bradgley Rodriguez has a chance to turn a unique name into a postseason calling card for the Padres.
MLB.com’s Mike Petriello looked ahead to October on Thursday and pointed to Rodriguez as one of the under-the-radar relief arms who could turn into an unlikely hero if the 2026 playoffs produce the kind of bullpen moments that often define deep runs. That idea isn’t coming out of nowhere. Petriello cited recent postseasons as proof that surprise relievers can become major factors, naming Tyler Matzek, Bryan Abreu, Kevin Ginkel, Josh Sborz, Alex Vesia, Lucas Erceg, Eric Lauer and Will Vest as some of the most impactful arms since the 2021 postseason.
Rodriguez stands out for more than his performance. He is the first “Bradgley” ever to reach the majors, and if San Diego keeps pushing toward October, he could become a familiar figure fast.
The Padres haven’t officially punched their ticket yet, but they are in strong position. They hold a 3.5-game edge over the Arizona Diamondbacks for the National League’s final wild-card spot, while also sitting just a game back of Philadelphia and 1.5 behind Chicago for the first and second wild-card positions. San Diego is 83-69, while Arizona is 80-73.
The schedule leaves plenty still to settle. San Diego finishes its four-game set in Colorado on Thursday, then gets three games each against the Miami Marlins and Los Angeles Dodgers before closing the regular season at home against Arizona.
The Diamondbacks, meanwhile, still have the New York Yankees and Rockies before arriving at Petco Park. The Padres would love to have the spot secured before that final weekend so the series doesn’t turn into a winner-take-all showdown.
Rodriguez’s rise has been anything but straightforward. The Padres signed him out of Venezuela as a 17-year-old in January 2021, and he opened his pro career with a 6.20 ERA in the Dominican Summer League. Right-elbow problems then wiped out his 2022 and 2023 seasons.
By that point, he was so far off the radar that he didn’t crack San Diego’s preseason Top 30 Prospect list in 2024, according to MLB.com. Then came a breakthrough season. Rodriguez overpowered hitters across three levels in 2024, piling up 74 strikeouts in 45 games and 61.1 innings between Lake Elsinore, Fort Wayne and San Antonio.
That jump carried him from unranked to No. 14 on the Padres’ preseason Top 30 Prospect list in 2025. He followed that by going 6-0 in 33 combined appearances with San Antonio and El Paso before reaching the majors. Once there, he made seven appearances for San Diego and posted a 1.17 ERA over 7.2 innings.
He’s now part of a Padres bullpen that has helped set things up for late-inning weapons Adrian Morejon and Mason Miller, a group some have labeled the best in baseball.
Petriello’s case for Rodriguez as a playoff wild card starts with the numbers. His 2.38 ERA ranks in the top five among rookies this season.
It also comes with a twist. Rodriguez brings a 98-mph fastball, but his real weapon is a changeup he uses 40% of the time.
Hitters are batting just .134 against it, and the contact he allows when it’s put in play has been among the weakest in the game.
If that formula holds in October, the first “Bradgley” in major-league history could wind up with a very different kind of recognition.
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