Minor league baseball is back, and Padres minor league affiliates went 1-0 in regular-season play. They also went 1-0 in exhibition play. 

Here is the first of our daily recaps of games played. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (Won 9-3 vs Sacramento) (1-0 on the season)

Jase Bowen – 1-for-5, Home Run, RBI

Sung-Mun Song – 1-for-3, Two-RBI Single, Walk

Matt Waldron – 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (37 pitches – 25 strikes)

El Paso was on the road in NorCal to open the season, and their season opener was a victory over the Sacramento River Cats. Matt Waldron was assigned to the Chihuahuas for a rehab assignment, and in his first regular-season outing, he was scoreless. Waldron tossed three scoreless innings, striking out three batters. While on the surface, the results were positive (27 pitches, 25 strikes), his velocity was not as high as in his last spring training outings. Waldron averaged 91.8 mph on his fastball, which was higher than his average in 2025 but below the 93 mph he was regularly at during Cactus League play.

Waldron’s velocity started strong, but dipped with every subsequent frame, which could be something to monitor as he continues his rehab assignment. Sean Boyle pitched three innings of one-run baseball in relief, earning the win. Boyle struck out two batters while relying on his breaking pitches for swings-and-misses. Both of the right-hander’s strikeouts came on the sweeper. Logan Gillaspie threw one-plus innings of relief, but struggled with commanding his four-seam fastball. A 10% zone% on the fastball is not a formula for success, and it played a role in his four walks issued. Two of those runners came around to score for the River Cats, both scoring as inherited runners against Alek Jacob. Jacob pitched two innings of relief on 25 pitches, and his fastball averaged 86.3 mph, a 0.6 mph increase from last season.

The Chihuahuas’ lineup showed some fire in their season-opening win. Facing top Giants prospect Carson Whisenhunt, the team roared to life in the fifth inning. Rodolfo Duran drew a walk, and three straight singles by Nick Schnell, Pablo Reyes, and Mason McCoy led the team to tie the game. Whisenhunt was chased from the game, and River Cats reliever John Michael Bertrand did not fare any better. Samad Taylor singled on a flair to left field to give the CHihuahuas a 2-1 lead, and Sung-Mun Song notched his first Triple-A base hit on a jam-job single to center field to score two runs. A forceout off the bat of Nick Solak added another run, and Rodolfo Duran’s second plate appearance of the inning produced an RBI single to make the score 6-1.

El Paso added on a run in the seventh when Jase Bowen took a Bertrand changeup out to dead center for a 440-foot home run. It was Bowen’s first career Triple-A home run. The visiting Chihuahuas entered the ninth leading 7-3, but were able to push the score out of slam range. With Clay Dungan and Nick Solak on third and second base, respectively, Jose Miranda singled to score Dungan. Solak scored on a sacrifice fly by Duran, which capped off the scoring in a winning effort. 

Jase Bowen. DESTROYED

The 2023 Rafter goes 440 Feet for No. 1 this season! pic.twitter.com/cJo7hvBr4J

— MLB’s Arizona Fall League (@MLBazFallLeague) March 28, 2026

In other news, Padres right-hander Jason Adam is set to join the team in Sacramento for his own rehab assignment this weekend. Adam is recovering from a patella tendon injury sustained last September. 

San Antonio Missions – Won 14-8 vs Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos (1-0 in exhibition play)

The San Antonio Missions partook in the first of three exhibition games against the Mexican League’s Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos. Since the games were in exhibition play, no box score was released, though fans were treated to this lineup and the final score. 

Tonight’s starting lineup ?
?First Pitch: 7:05 PM
?The Wolff

?️: https://t.co/b31OKuFjxF pic.twitter.com/YymWZXyatp

— San Antonio Missions Baseball (@missionsmilb) March 27, 2026

In other Missions news, the team unveiled its renderings for a new stadium in downtown San Antonio. Should all the legislature and proceedings align, the team is reportedly aiming for a 2028 opening date. 

What a special day in San Antonio! The 2026 Missions arrived, including exciting prospects like Ethan Salas and Jagger Haynes, who spoke to the media. At the same time, we released the first ever renderings of our new downtown ballpark. So much to look forward to for our city! pic.twitter.com/CzCKMN6P2C

— Brian Yancelson (@brian_yancelson) March 27, 2026

Fort Wayne TinCaps & Lake Elsinore Storm – No Games

While the TinCaps and Storm did not play any games, take a moment to check out our season projections for the TinCaps, released on March 27. You can read that article here!

Diego Garcia

A born and raised San Diegan, Diego Garcia is a lifetime Padres fan and self-proclaimed baseball nerd. Diego wrote about baseball on his own site between 2021-22 before joining the East Village Times team in 2024. He also posts baseball content on his YouTube channel “Stat Nerd Baseball”, creating content around trades, hypotheticals, player analyses, the San Diego Padres, and MLB as a whole.

A 2024 graduate of San Diego State, Diego aims to grow as a writer and content creator in the baseball community.