Padres minor league affiliates got back to work over the season, and the Arizona Complex League Padres kicked off their regular season to join the team’s other four affiliates.

The teams combined went 3-2 in regular-season action. 

Here is a recap of the games’ events. 

El Paso Chihuahuas (Won 4-2 vs Oklahoma City) (14-18 on the season)

Yonathan Perlaza – 2-for-4, Two-RBI Double

Mike Brosseau – 1-for-4, Home Run

Kyle Hart – 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R (1 ER), 5 BB, 4 K (87 pitches – 45 strikes)

El Paso’s pitching staff was able to hold back a potent Comets offense, and Yonathan Perlaza’s late-inning double scored the go-ahead runs in a 4-2 win. Kyle Hart made the start for the Chihuahuas (try saying that five times fast), and in his first Triple-A action since 2023, Hart tossed 4.2 innings of one-earned-run baseball, striking out four batters. Hart limited opponents at the plate, holding the Comets to three hits. Despite this, Hart walked five batters, nearly tying his season total in five major league starts. His sweeper registered strong results and looks to be something Hart is working on with the Chihuahuas’ staff. Ron Marinaccio tossed two hitless innings, striking out two batters. The New Jersey native has been on a roll as of late, posting another scoreless outing, his third in his last four games. Reiss Knehr earned his fifth save of the season, tossing a 1-2-3 inning on eight pitches.

Catcher Cody Roberts had a two-hit game at the plate, scoring a run. Roberts, a former Orioles draft pick, has played well as the Chihuahuas’ backup catcher, posting a .788 OPS in his small sample of games played. With Luis Campusano recalled to the MLB roster, Roberts and fellow backstop Rodolfo Duran stand to see more playing time. Trenton Brooks drove in the team’s first run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning, driving in his 28th run of the season. Mike Brosseau tied the game at two in the sixth inning with his third home run of the season. El Paso would take the lead an inning later, as Yonathan Perlaza stepped up to the plate with two runners on. On a low-and-in slider from left-hander Jose Hernandez, Perlaza lined a 109.6 mph screamer down the left field line, scoring Clay Dungan and Trenton Brooks to give the Chihuahuas a 4-2 lead. Perlaza took the team lead in RBI with his double, his 16th double of the season. 

Yonathan puts us up by 2️⃣ in the 7th and that’s all the runs scored for the night

daWgs win 4-2 pic.twitter.com/hfzMYcGFwL

— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) May 4, 2025

El Paso returns to play on Sunday, closing out the series in Oklahoma City. No starter has been announced, as Jared Kollar threw five innings on Friday. With Stephen Kolek being recalled by San Diego, El Paso will likely make a roster move to accommodate a starter. 

San Antonio Missions (Won 4-1 vs Corpus Christi) (13-13 on the season)

Jackson Merrill – 2-for-3, Two Singles, Run Scored

Joshua Mears – 1-for-4, Home Run

Jagger Haynes – 4.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 9 K (80 pitches – 53 strikes)

Jackson Merrill made a rehab appearance with his former team, going 2-for-3 with two singles and a run scored. The All-Star Padres center fielder played the field as well, playing seven innings in center field. Merrill is likely to return to the Padres on May 5, so seeing him in game action is encouraging. Joshua Mears was cleared for liftoff, tying the ball game with his third home run of the season. The 2019 second-rounder continues to be a three-true outcome hitter, but if his power can remain while raising the amount of contact he makes, he could make the push to Triple-A, which might be a perfect environment for him. Brandon Valenzuela drove in the go-ahead run on an RBI single, and Devin Ortiz had two singles in the game. The team’s versatility was on full display, as five of the nine starters mase positional changes during the late stages of the game, improving the team’s defense. Anthony Vilar finished 2-for-4 in the game, starting at catcher before finishing the game at second base. 

All systems go with Jackson Merrill ?@missionsmilb ?️ @Padres pic.twitter.com/Yc2xX25tIE

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) May 4, 2025

Missions starter Jagger Haynes showed no sympathy for the Hooks, as the left-hander struck out a season-high nine batters in 4.2 innings of work, allowing only five outs on balls in play. The left-hander allowed only two hits in the game, walking one. The 23-year-old is coming off two so-so starts against Amarillo, but his swing-and-miss stuff was on full display on Saturday. Haynes is Rule 5 eligible after the season, and performances like this one provide a steady case for the left-hander earning a roster spot. Chihuahuas relievers struck out six over 4.1 innings of work after Haynes’ departure, scattering one hit in that span. Manuel Castro, coming off a dominant April, pitched a scoreless ninth inning in the win, picking up his second save of the season. While Bradgley Rodriguez has picked up most of the attention at the back end of the Missions bullpen, Castro has sneakily been the best reliever in this bullpen in terms of ERA, WHIP, and FIP. 

San Antonio closes out their series on Sunday, with right-hander Henry Baez starting. 

Fort Wayne TinCaps (Won 2-0 vs Dayton) (15-11 on the season)

Jacob Campbell – 2-for-3, Two-Run Home Run

Addison Kopack – 1-for-4, Triple

Isaiah Lowe – 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K (66 pitches – 44 strikes)

Isaiah Lowe pitched an absolute gem against Dayton, tossing five innings of one-hit baseball. The right-hander had a difficult start to the season, but has been finding his stride recently, posting a 1.08 ERA & 1.08 WHIP in his last two starts. While Lowe walked three batters, he was able to work his way out of frames relatively easily. Lowe was just a ground ball single away from having five hitless innings, and the TinCaps’ pitching picked up the slack after Lowe was done. Left-hander Harry Gustin, who has seen longer and longer outings as the season progresses, pitched the final four innings of the game, allowing no hits and striking out four. Gustin’s three-pitch mix has two above-average breaking pitches, with each of his curveball and slider having strong depth on their break. While the curveball is harder, sitting in the low-to-mid 80s, it still keeps its strong vertical & horizontal movement. 

The TinCaps lineup has done lots and “just enough” in their wins this season, and playing without Leo De Vries (scheduled rest day), the team was able to do just enough to support a dominant pitching performance. The team’s offense drew four walks, and one of those was rather consequential. Jack Costello drew a fourth-inning walk, and two batters later, Jacob Campbell homered to center field, giving Fort Wayne a 2-0 lead. The former 1088th pick of the 2019 draft, Campbell, was in the lineup for his defense but had what ultimately became the game-winning hit. Brandon Butterworth was 1-for-4 with a double, while Addison Kopack had one hit in the game, a sixth-inning triple against rehabbing Reds right-hander Connor Phillips. 

Eric Yost starts the series finale as the TinCaps go for the home sweep. 

Lake Elsinore Storm (Lost 6-2 vs Inland Empire) (10-16 on the season)

Alex McCoy – 2-for-4, RBI Double

Lamar King Jr – 1-for-4, RBI Double

Bryan Balzer – 4.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 2 K (73 pitches – 45 strikes)

Lake Elsinore had their streak of three consecutive shutout wins broken in their 6-2 loss against Inland Empire on Saturday. Right-hander Bryan Balzer, coming off his best start of the season, pitched into the fifth inning but allowed four runs on six hits. The right-hander was in the driver’s seat through the first four innings of the game, but the fifth inning spiraled for him. A one-out hit batter was followed up by two straight singles to give IE a 1-0 lead. After retiring the rehabbing Yoan Moncada on an infield fly, the next three batters singled on pitches down the heart of the plate to give the 66ers a 4-0 lead, chasing Balzer from the game. One performance on the Storm’s pitching staff worth noting was that of right-hander Vicarte Domingo. The Canadian-born right-hander struck out three in two innings of work, bringing his season strikeout total to 20 in 11.1 innings of work. While Domingo’s command is still developing, and he may be more of a project than an arm like Tyson Neighbors, Domingo has the kind of upside that slots an arm in the back-end of a bullpen. 

Alex McCoy had another multi-hit game, lacing an RBI double in the seventh inning. McCoy’s two hits exceeded the 100 mph threshold off the bat, with his double reaching 103.2 mph off the bat. McCoy’s power tool is one that is likely to produce gaudy exit velocities, but if he is able to develop a consistent ability to make contact, he could be a prospect on the rise to watch. Lamar King Jr had an RBI double of his own in the sixth inning, driving in his 14th run of the season. Kaden Hollow hit his fourth double of the season and scored a run, while Kavares Tears reached base twice (once via an error) and also scored a run. 

Lake Elsinore wraps up the home series against Inland Empire on Sunday, with Luis Gutierrez likely to start. 

ACL Padres (Lost 4-3 in 10 innings) (0-1 on the season)

Jake Cronenworth – 1-for-3, Single

Kale Fountain – 1-for-1, RBI Single, Walk

Kannon Kemp – 4 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 5 BB, 2 K

The Arizona Complex League Padres kicked off their season on Saturday, with a bevy of familiar faces in new places. Pro debuts, stateside debuts, rehab appearances, this game had it all. 

Right-hander Kannon Kemp made his pro debut as the team’s starting pitcher. In his first in-game action since being drafted, the right-hander walked five batters in four innings, allowing three runs. Kemp only allowed one base hit, however, while striking out two batters. The right-hander is coming off missing the 2024 season due to a right shoulder impingement, and while his command will come as he puts the shoulder issue behind him, debuting was an important hurdle to jump over. Right-hander Luis Maracara made his stateside debut after dominating in the DSL last summer and pitched three scoreless innings of relief, striking out three. The right-hander’s 2024 performance slotted him at No. 27 on EVT’s pre-season Top 30 Prospects list, and if he keeps performing as such, he could be a burgeoning ace to keep tabs on for many. 

San Diego Padres 2023 8th round draft pick, big 6’6″ 225 lb Texan, Kannon Kemp got the starting assignment for game 1 of 2025 Arizona Complex League. Kemp had shoulder surgery in early 2024. He battled in his first inning, kept things in control from there. 4IP H 5BB 2K’s. pic.twitter.com/cXr7vtXztD

— TheJerryEspinoza (@JEspinoza1634) May 4, 2025

Jake Cronenworth made his first appearance in game action since being placed on the IL on April 11, going 1-for-3 while playing the field at second base. Yimy Tovar, coming off a .763 OPS (115 wRC+) season in the DSL, went 2-for-4 in his stateside debut, while fellow DSL teammate Gustavo Marquez had his first stateside hit as well. Kai Roberts finished the game 1-for-2 as the team’s DH. Roberts seems ticketed for Lake Elsinore upon completing his rehab assignment, having missed time in spring due to injury. His replacement in the lineup, 2024 fifth-rounder Kale Fountain, went 1-for-1 in his professional debut, singling to drive in a run while also drawing a late walk. Emil Turbi, who saw game action with Lake Elsinore for two games as an emergency callup, went 1-for-2 in the game with a single. 

The ACL Padres return to play on Monday after a Sunday off-day.

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.