Padres Expected to Make Major Shakeup at Catcher: Report

The San Diego Padres have been linked with several catchers to mend their offensive problems at the position, but instead of trading they may bring back Luis Campusano from Triple-A El Paso as a solution — at least for the time being.

"Indications from within the organization continue to point to catcher Luis Campusano being called up from Triple-A soon, though it might not happen until after the All-Star break," said Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Padres catchers this season are hitting below the Mendoza Line collectively, and are bottom five in the league in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and wRC+ among catchers. They have the fewest RBIs at the position in MLB, driving in just 20 runs.

Campusano has featured at the MLB level every season since 2020 for the Friars, however has never played more than 100 games in a single season in the bigs. The catcher came up earlier this season, drawing six walks in nine games but failing to get a hit in 24 plate appearances.

If Campusano does come up, it will be his third stint of the season with the Friars, as he spent May 3-6 and May 24-June 16 in MLB.

His inability to get a hit is uncharacteristic of the 26-year-old, as over his last two seasons he has batted .261 and has an OPS+ just shy of league average. Campusano also showcased his ability to bring home runs in those seasons, which the Padres are in desperate need of currently. He had 70 RBIs across 140 games played.

The Padres may be looking to Campusano as a short-term replacement as they scour the market for their catcher or left fielder, or they could look to him for the long-term if he hits the ground running in MLB. He has a .317 batting average in the minors, and has 14 homers this season to boot. If he produces like this with the Padres, he is sure to get an extended stay as their catcher.

If he is to come up, the Padres will hope Campusano can replicate his numbers from the minors, as they are aching for offensive production in the NL postseason race. Despite a win against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, they remain 0.5 games back in the Wild Card behind the San Francisco Giants. They take on the Phils once more on Saturday at 4:35 p.m. PT.

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.