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Padres' Luis Campusano: Losing out on starts to Fermin
Rotowire
Campusano is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants.
The playing time at catcher appears to have tilted back in favor of Freddy Fermin, who will draw his fourth start in six games while Campusano is relegated to the bench. Fermin is regarded as the superior defender of the two, but Campusano has been far more productive at the dish with a .958 OPS in 58 plate appearances.
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Padres' Luis Campusano: Sitting again Monday
Rotowire
Campusano is not in the Padres' starting lineup against the Giants on Monday.
Campusano was seeing more playing time toward the tail end of April, but he will take a seat for a second consecutive game while Freddy Fermin serves behind home plate and bats eighth. Campusano is slashing .300/.352/.620 with three home runs and 10 RBI across 54 plate appearances this season.
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Padres' Luis Campusano: On bench, but playing time rising
Rotowire
Campusano is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox.
Though he'll be taking a seat for the series finale, Campusano may have edged ahed of Freddy Fermin on the depth chart at catcher. Campusano had started in each of the Padres' last four matchups with right-handed pitchers, going 3-for-14 with a pair of extra-base hits and a walk during that span. For the season, Campusano is now maintaining a .972 OPS over 54 plate appearances.
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Padres' Luis Campusano: Playing time trending up
Rotowire
Campusano will start at catcher and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Cubs.
Campusano will stick behind the plate for the third time in four games while Freddy Fermin sits. Though Fermin has operated as the Padres' No. 1 catcher for much of the season, Campusano may be starting to turn the position into more of a timeshare arrangement due to his hot hitting. Since the calendar flipped to April, Campusano has hit .385 with three home runs, seven doubles, 10 RBI and eight runs over 13 games.
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Padres' Luis Campusano: Tallies two extra-base hits
Rotowire
Campusano went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and an additional RBI in Sunday's loss to the Diamondbacks.
Campusano drew the start behind the plate to wrap up the weekend in Mexico City, doubling and homering Sunday after slugging two doubles and a homer in his previous start Wednesday against the Rockies. After going hitless in 10 regular-season games at the big-league level in 2025, the 27-year-old has been on fire to begin 2026, slashing .350/.395/.750 with three homers, nine RBI and eight runs through 14 games. Freddy Fermin is the lead catcher and is more well regarded on the defensive side, but Campusano's continued success should earn him opportunities in the lineup.
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Padres' Luis Campusano: Racks up three extra-base hits
Rotowire
Campusano went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, two doubles and two total runs scored in Wednesday's 8-3 loss to the Rockies.
Campusano's blast came in the seventh inning, but the Padres weren't able to build off of it. This was his second multi-hit effort of the season, and it was his first performance with an extra-base hit in his last six games. The catcher is batting .333 with a 1.052 OPS, two homers, seven RBI, seven runs scored, six doubles and no stolen bases over 39 plate appearances this year, but he continues to function in the backup catcher role behind Freddy Fermin.
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Padres' Luis Campusano: Belts first homer of season
Rotowire
Campusano went 2-for-2 with a solo home run, a double and a walk in Friday's 5-2 win over the Rockies.
Campusano continues to deliver with the bat, as he's hit safely in his last five games and has a homer and four doubles in that span. The long ball Friday was his first of the season. He started the year firmly in a bench role behind Freddy Fermin, but Campusano's hot hitting could help him secure more playing time. The catcher is batting .353 (6-for-17) through seven contests while adding four RBI and three runs scored.
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Padres' Luis Campusano: Expected to make 26-man roster
Rotowire
Campusano is likely to open the regular season as San Diego's No. 2 catcher, per MLB.com.
Campusano has mostly struggled with the big-league club in parts of previous campaigns, and he went a miserable 0-for-21 with a 6:11 BB:K over 10 games last year. However, he also posted a 1.024 OPS with 24 home runs and 92 RBI across 466 plate appearances with Triple-A El Paso, so he has nothing left to prove in the minors. Elias Diaz and Martin Maldonado are no longer with San Diego this season, and the Padres seem content to have Campusano back up primary catcher Freddy Fermin despite Campusano's struggles this spring, as he slashing just .172/.250/.241 with no RBI through 13 games.
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Padres' Luis Campusano: Secures contract for '26
Rotowire
Campusano signed a one-year, $900,000 contract with the Padres on Friday.
Campusano went 0-for-21 with six walks and 11 strikeouts in the majors during the 2025 regular season, but he continued to show promise in the minors, finishing with a .334/.438/.586 slash line over 466 plate appearances at Triple-A El Paso. The 27-year-old owns a .666 OPS through 178 games in his big-league career but will have a chance to win a spot on San Diego's Opening Day roster this spring.
The Padres optioned Campusano to Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday.
Campusano was recalled ahead of the Padres' final game before the All-Star break but will head back to the minors before the start of the second half. The catcher is still looking for his first base knock this season with the big club, having gone 0-for-21 at the plate. The Padres will announce a corresponding move prior to Friday's game versus the Nationals.
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Padres' Luis Campusano: Promoted, in lineup Sunday
Rotowire
The Padres recalled Campusano from Triple-A El Paso, and he will bat seventh as the designated hitter Sunday against the Phillies.
Campusano was sent to El Paso in mid-June but is back with the big club for the final game of the first half. The 26-year-old has appeared in nine games with San Diego this season and has gone 0-for-18 with six walks and nine strikeouts. Campusano may be in line for a short stay in the majors, since the corresponding transaction for his promotion was Gavin Sheets being placed on the paternity list. Sheets should be ready to rejoin the Padres when they open their second-half schedule next Friday in Washington.
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Padres' Luis Campusano: Sent back to minors
Rotowire
The Padres optioned Campusano to Triple-A El Paso on Monday.
Campusano had been playing sparingly as an occasional designated hitter against left-handed pitching. He'll cede his spot on the 26-man active roster to outfielder Bryce Johnson, who was called up from El Paso.
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Padres' Luis Campusano: Back in San Diego
Rotowire
The Padres recalled Campusano from Triple-A El Paso on Saturday.
With Jason Heyward (oblique) headed for the IL, Campusano will come up from the minors to fill the open spot on San Diego's bench. The 26-year-old backstop is 0-for-6 with four walks in the big leagues this season but has slashed .275/.370/.550 with three homers, nine RBI and five runs across 46 plate appearances since being sent down in early May.
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Padres' Luis Campusano: Sent back to El Paso
Rotowire
The Padres optioned Campusano to Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday.
Just three days after being recalled from Triple-A, Campusano will return to the minors to make room for the return of Jackson Merrill (hamstring) from the injured list. Campusano went 0-for-6 during his brief stint with the Padres, though he managed to reach base four times via walks. He'd likely return to the majors if Elias Diaz or Martin Maldonado were to miss any amount of time.
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Padres' Luis Campusano: Summoned to majors
Rotowire
The Padres recalled Campusano from Triple-A El Paso on Saturday.
Campusano has performed well with El Paso this season, slashing .322/.445/.598 with six home runs, 17 RBI and 21 runs over 110 plate appearances. He struggled in the majors last year, posting a .642 OPS over 299 plate appearances, but was much better in 2023, when he slashed .319/.356/.491 with seven long balls in 49 games. Campusano may not get much playing time behind the plate with the Padres given his defensive liabilities and since the team already has two other catchers -- veterans Elias Diaz and Martin Maldonado -- but he may also get an occasional turn at DH. To make room for Campusano on the roster, San Diego optioned Connor Joe to El Paso.
The Padres optioned Campusano to Triple-A El Paso on Sunday.
Elias Diaz will be the Padres' primary catcher, and non-roster invitee Martin Maldonado is in line to serve as his backup. Campusano will head to El Paso, where he will receive regular playing time as he awaits another opportunity in the majors.
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Padres' Luis Campusano: Makes impression with homer Sunday
Rotowire
Campusano hit a three-run home run in his only at-bat during Sunday's Cactus League loss to the Diamondbacks.
Campusano didn't start the game, but he entered as a defensive replacement at catcher in the seventh inning. The 26-year-old then made the most of his lone plate appearance, smashing a three-run homer to left field in the eighth frame. It was a much-needed big hit for Campusano, who entered Sunday having gone just 3-for-21 this spring. He's competing with Elias Diaz to be San Diego's primary catcher to open the campaign, and Diaz has also struggled at the dish in Cactus League play with a 3-for-22 line. With that in mind, Campusano could turn the competition in his favor if he's able to build upon Sunday's performance during what's left of spring training.
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