Padres Officially Release Former Top Prospect Pitcher in Surprise Move

In five starts with Double-A San Antonio, Patiño went 0-1 with a 2.95 ERA. He had 19 strikeouts in 18.1 innings along with a 1.255 WHIP.

While the Texas League is a long ways from the National League — in spirit and in paychecks, if not geographically — those aren't the kinds of statistics that usually earn a pitcher his release.

Still, Patiño had been on the Double-A injured list since late June due to elbow soreness. It's unclear whether this setback is directly related to the Tommy John ligament replacement that he underwent in 2024. He had been rehabbing from the procedure until May 4, when he made his debut with Lake Elsinore.

If the elbow soreness represents a new injury, the road back to the mound — whether in the big leagues or the minors — might be a long one for Patiño.

The 25-year-old right-hander has already had a rocky career.

Patiño was the No. 3 prospect in the Padres' system, behind only MacKenzie Gore and C.J. Abrams, going into the 2020 season. He made his major league debut on Aug. 5 of the pandemic-shortened season and went 1-0 with a 5.19 ERA in 11 games (one start).

Patiño also made three appearances in the postseason, all in relief, as the Padres advanced to the National League Division Series before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

After the season, the Padres traded Patiño along with catcher Francisco Mejia, and minor leaguers Blake Hunt and Cole Wilcox, to the Tampa Bay Rays for pitcher Blake Snell.

The trade worked out swimmingly for the Padres. Snell won the National League Cy Young Award in 2023 the last of his three seasons in San Diego. Patiño, for his part, made the most of the opportunity he was given in his first year in Tampa Bay.

As a 21-year-old in 2021, Patiño made 19 appearances (15 starts) for the Rays. He went 5-3 with a 4.31 ERA (94 ERA+) in the regular season, then made another two appearances in the American League Division Series against the Boston Red Sox.

Patiño was the losing pitcher in Game 3 of the series, when he allowed a walkoff home run to Christian Vazquez. The Red Sox won the next day, again in their final at-bat, to clinch the series.

Injuries limited Patiño to 11 starts between the majors and minors in 2022. In 2023 he was traded to the Chicago White Sox for cash. Placed on waivers after the season, he was claimed by the Padres in December 2023, returning to the organization that signed him as an amateur free agent out of Colombia in 2016.

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