Padres To Promote Top Prospect Straight From Double-A in Massive Roster Move

The San Diego Padres are calling up right-handed relief pitcher Bradgley Rodriguez straight from Double-A San Antonio, reports Daniel Alvarez Montes of El Extra Base.

The Padres signed the 21-year-old out of Venezuela in 2021, though he didn't impress in his first year in the Dominican Summer League, posting a 6.20 ERA in 10 appearances. He missed 2022 with elbow issues and did not play in 2023, staying at the Padres' Dominican Summer League complex.

He came back in 2024 and shot up through the minor leagues, beginning the year with a brief stint with Single-A Lake Elsinore, and scoring a promotion to Double-A San Antonio from High-A Fort Worth last August. Collectively, he made 45 appearances last season and put up a 2.64 ERA with 75 strikeouts in 61.1 innings pitched.

Rodriguez is the No. 14 prosect in the Padres ogranization, and currently has the most innings pitched among relievers on the Missions. He's struck out 31 batters in 22.1 innings, and has an impressive 0.90 WHIP. He's also notched six saves in seven opportunities this season.

MLB.com's scouting report puts Rodriguez's fastball and changeup at a rating of 65, meaning they're above average with potential to develop into well ablove average pitches.

"Pitch for pitch, Rodriguez may have the most dynamic stuff in the entire San Diego system," the scouting report reads. "Pitching in shorter stints, he touched 101 mph in 2024 and sat 96-99 with his fastball, and low-level batters just couldn’t handle that level of heat, particularly when he ran it up the ladder to the top of the zone. His changeup was arguably even better -- an 86-89 mph offering with the right amount of separation and tunneling leading to a 58.2 percent whiff rate in ’24. His hard upper-80s slider was an option saved for righties and flashes above average."

The Padres bullpen got off to a dominant start to the season but have slouched in May, posting an MLB-low 59% left on base percentage and a 5.62 ERA, the second worst in the National League. Six of the Padres seven blown saves have come in May.

The Friars will hope Rodriguez can help stabilize their bullpen which has struggled to produce results heading into a crowded June schedule, where they will play 13 games in 13 days twice.

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