Padres Down on the Farm: May 20 (Waldron rehabs/Missions walk-off)
Credit: AP Photo
Padres minor league affiliates went 1-4 on Tuesday.
Here is a recap of the games’ events.
El Paso Chihuahuas (Lost 7-4 vs Tacoma) (22-24 on the season)
Mason McCoy – 1-for-4, Single, Two RBI
Forrest Wall – 1-for-3, RBI Walk
Omar Cruz – 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K (58 pitches – 31 strikes)
El Paso allowed seven runs in the eighth inning, ultimately losing by a final score of 7-4. Omar Cruz started for El Paso and posted four innings of one-hit baseball. The left-hander struck out three batters in his outing and was able to be efficient against a potent Tacoma lineup. The Hermosillo native has looked strong in his starts with the Chihuahuas, and he remains a candidate for MLB time after making two relief outings earlier in the season. David Morgan was saddled with the loss, as while he touched 100 mph on the radar gun, he allowed seven runs on seven hits while recording only one out. Morgan’s slider was absolutely shellacked, as both home runs he allowed came on that pitch.
López with a 3-run, go-ahead JACK! pic.twitter.com/At8E5fMK2D
— Tacoma Rainiers (@RainiersLand) May 21, 2025
Mason McCoy, who was assigned to El Paso as part of a rehab assignment, went 1-for-4 in the game with an RBI single. Forrest Wall and Tim Locastro both posted doubles in the ballgame, the team’s lone extra-base hits in the evening. Locastro has found some impressive slugging this season despite some lower-end exit velocities, using both his speed and an 86th percentile sweet-spot percentage. Yonathan Perlaza had another base hit in the game, and while the release of Oscar Gonzalez provoked some chatter of Perlaza finding potential MLB time, his 93 wRC+ leaves something to be desired.
San Antonio Missions (Won 5-4 vs Wichita) (20-20 on the season)
Romeo Sanabria – 4-for-4, Home Run
Marcos Castañon – 2-for-3, Home Run, Three RBI
Matt Waldron – 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K (47 pitches – 26 strikes)
The Missions received ample reinforcements with more on the way, with MLB rehab assignments for Matt Waldron and Bryan Hoeing bringing the right-handers to San Antonio. Waldron served as the team’s starting pitcher, tossing two innings of one-run baseball. Waldron struck out two with his dancing knuckleball, and looks to be putting an oblique strain behind him. EVT sources report that Waldron is set to make two to three more rehab starts and would rejoin the team in three weeks. Hoeing tossed a scoreless inning with a strikeout on 12 pitches, so it appears likely that Hoeing will be throwing out of the bullpen. Victor Lizarraga threw three innings of three-run baseball in relief, striking out one batter. Bradgley Rodriguez earned the win, throwing a scoreless ninth inning with two strikeouts.
Hear from Matt Waldron after his rehab start tonight with the Missions. @Padres pic.twitter.com/w4tc4jpjnk
— San Antonio Missions Baseball (@missionsmilb) May 21, 2025
Marcos Castañon and Romeo Sanabria led the offense, finishing with multi-hit games. Sanabria went a perfect 4-for-4 with a home run, and Castañon also had a home run in the game. Castañon had a strong showing, backing up his recent performances in the team’s prior series, as the infielder finished 2-for-3 with three RBI. Cody Roberts, who was on first base when Castañon hit his game-tying sac fly, came around to score on Nerwilian Cedeno’s walk-off RBI double, the utilityman’s second hit in his debut.
Mission accomplished ✅
Nerwilian Cedeño walks it off for a @missionsmilb series opener ‘W’! pic.twitter.com/1RBVHMKz0E
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) May 21, 2025
Fort Wayne TinCaps (Lost 5-1 vs Cedar Rapids in 5 innings) (20-20 on the season)
Brendan Durfee – 1-for-2, RBI Single
Sean Barnett – 1-for-2, Single, Walk
Ian Koenig – 3.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 3 K (71 pitches – 45 strikes)
Right-hander Ian Koenig had one of his least efficient outings of the season, going 3.1 innings on a wet and humid Indiana afternoon. Koenig allowed three walks and four hits, which added up to five runs allowed, striking out three. The right-hander has his most success when keeping the ball on the ground, but with the humidity making it harder to grasp the baseball, Koenig saw more balls get past infielders with the wet playing surface. Bodi Rascon tossed a scoreless inning with two walks, and Nick Wissman allowed one hit in 0.2 innings, allowing two inherited runners to score.
The offense was as cold as the night, as the team registered just three singles in the loss. Brendan Durfee drove in the team’s lone run on an RBI single, which broke up a 4-for-38 figure this month. Sean Barnett reached base twice in the game, and Brandon Butterworth scored the team’s lone run in the game. New addition Kai Roberts made his High-A debut, finishing with two walks.
Lake Elsinore Storm (Lost 9-4 vs Visalia) (17-23 on the season)
Victor Figueroa – 2-for-4, Double, RBI
Lamar King Jr – 2-for-4, RBI Double
Will Varmette – 2.1 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 4 BB, 1 K (61 pitches – 35 strikes)
Lineup reinforcements played a role in the Storm’s early scoring, as new first baseman Victor Figueroa went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI in his Single-A debut. Lamar King Jr also finished 2-for-4, albeit with an RBI double of his own. Ryan Jackson continued raking in the OBP, going 2-for-4 with a pair of singles and an RBI. Chase Valentine had two singles in the game, scoring a run, and Zach Evans had a double in the loss.
Starter Will Varmette, who received a spotlight from Lake Elsinore’s media outlets thanks to last week’s performance, lasted 2.1 innings on Tuesday. Varmette allowed six runs on four hits and a staggering four walks. Varmette, a reliever converting to starting duty, has successful starts when not walking batters. His command was not with him on Tuesday, and he struggled as a result. Adam Conrad allowed two hits in 1.2 innings of relief, but did not allow any earned runs, extending his scoreless streak to 17 innings in 12 games. Igor Gil had a scoreless 1.1 innings of relief, and Ruben Salinas allowed two runs in one inning of work.
ACL Padres (Lost 4-0 vs ACL White Sox) (4-9 on the season)
Yimy Tovar – 2-for-3, Two Singles
Carlos Rodriguez – 2-for-3, Two Singles
Humberto Cruz – 2 IP, 0 H. 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Humberto Cruz struck out three of six batters faced, facing the minimum through two innings. Cruz continues to build his strength after a slow spring and looks to work deeper into games in his next outings. The three strikeouts are a sight to behold, as Cruz has shown a talent for getting the swing-and-miss in his pro and amateur career. Cole Paplham, making a rehab appearance, tossed a scoreless inning. The right-hander has missed all season with a facial injury and looks to be on the mend. Erik Batista allowed one run in two innings, suffering the loss.
The lineup didn’t do much against the rookie White Sox arms. Yimy Tovar finished 2-for-3 with two singles, showing a penchant for reaching base in the young season. Catcher Carlos Rodriguez is on a roll right now, as he finished 2-for-3 with two singles. Eguy Rosario was hitless in three at-bats while seeing time in left field. Rosario has the arm to play left, but needs some more time to familiarize himself with the nuances of the position.
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.