Padres Down on the Farm: May 19 (Kemp tosses five and Ocopio homers in ACL)
Credit: EVT Sports (Farm Report)
It was a one-game Monday down on the farm, as the ACL Padres were the lone San Diego Padres’ affiliate to have regular-season action.
Here is a recap of the night’s events, along with some footnotes for the other affiliates.
El Paso Chihuahuas – Off-Day
El Paso opens a series at home against the Tacoma Rainiers on Tuesday for some Triple-A Vedder Cup action. The team is set to make a roster move before the game, as outfielder Oscar Gonzalez has been placed on release waivers to pursue an opportunity with the Rakuten Golden Eagles of NPB, per Francys Romero.
Dominican outfielder Oscar Gonzalez is in an agreement with the Rakuten Eagles, per sources.
Despite a strong 2023 season in MLB, he wasn’t able to secure a long-term role and will now look to continue his career in Japan.
Represented by The MAS+ Agency. pic.twitter.com/Ao1MkxGVUT
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) May 20, 2025
San Antonio Missions – Off-Day
San Antonio is set to welcome utilityman Nerwilian Cedeno to their roster before the series opener vs Wichita. A corresponding transaction has not yet been announced. Right-handers Matt Waldron and Bryan Hoeing will also be joining the Missions on rehab assignment this week, with Waldron likely to start one of the games in the series.
Big league arms are making a stop in Alamo City ?
Matt Waldron and Bryan Hoeing will be joining the Missions tomorrow on rehab assignments.
Read more: https://t.co/cIvtnzcHiA?️ for tomorrow: https://t.co/dRyhYxPNod pic.twitter.com/PiIlBtLMU2
— San Antonio Missions Baseball (@missionsmilb) May 19, 2025
Fort Wayne TinCaps – Off-Day
On Tuesday, Fort Wayne will open a series against Cedar Rapids (MIN). With Nerwilian Cedeno being promoted to Double-A San Antonio, the team is likely to recall a position player to fill the roster spot.
Lake Elsinore Storm – Off-Day
Lake Elsinore opens a series on the road against Visalia on Tuesday. It is not yet known if Kash Mayfield will be available this series after exiting his last start with shoulder discomfort. While Mayfield and the team called his exit precautionary, it remains to be seen if he will make his scheduled start, and if so, how many pitches he will be allowed to throw. It appears likely that first baseman Victor Figueroa, who has torn up the ACL in eleven games this season, will join the Storm in Visalia for their upcoming series (h/t Jerry Espinoza for the report). Outfielder Kai Roberts is also likely to join the Storm this series.
As was figured, Victor Figueroa and Kai Roberts have both gotten out of Arizona. Eguy Rosario is here with us, warming up with Yimi Tovar. Kannon Kemp on the bump tonight.
— TheJerryEspinoza (@JEspinoza1634) May 20, 2025
ACL Padres (Lost 7-3 vs ACL Rangers) (4-8 on the season)
Yoiber Ocopio – 1-for-3, Solo Home Run
Eguy Rosario – 1-for-4, RBI Double
Kannon Kemp – 5 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 3 K
The first inning of games continues to be an issue for right-hander Kannon Kemp, as the right-hander allowed four runs on four hits in the first inning, putting the Padres down 4-0 early. The rest of his outing was rather strong, as Kemp allowed just two hits in his remaining four innings of work. Kemp has the upside to be an impact arm, as he is just 20 and has shown impressive velocity from a high release point. However, the 6-foot-6 right-hander needs to reel in his command and stuff for further success, which he should be able to do as he gets acclimated to being back on the mound. Right-hander Jordan Valenzuela made his ACL debut, allowing a run on two hits in an inning.
The offense was able to claw its way back into the game, but it came too little, too late. Yoiber Ocopio launched a solo home run in the second inning, his first of the season. The right-handed hitting catcher was an on-base machine for the DSL Padres Gold last season, and is finding his stride as he makes the switch to stateside ball. Luis De Leon flashed some impressive bat speed in the game, finishing 1-for-4 with a single and an RBI. Eguy Rosario, just assigned to the ACL after struggling with El Paso, finished 1-for-4 with an RBI double. The stint in Arizona is viewed as a reset for the 25-year-old, who posted a .509 OPS and 23 wRC+ in 110 plate appearances with the Chihuahuas. Yimy Tovar singled and scored a run, while also fanning three times.
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.