When Will Leo De Vries Debut for Padres? Insider Answers

San Diego Padres No. 1 prospect Leo De Vries has been tearing up the minor leagues with High-A Fort Wayne, but The Athletic's Dennis Lin does not believe the 18-year-old is ready for high pressure games at the end of the season despite speculation he may make an appearance for the Friars before the end of 2025.

"De Vries looks quite good, but at the risk of underestimating the most aggressive player-development organization in baseball, we can assume he won’t become the first 18-year-old hitter to reach the majors since Alex Rodriguez in 1994," Lin writes.

"The Padres believe De Vries eventually could approach the type of impact Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. are making, but here’s more context: Tatis compiled more than 1,200 plate appearances in the minors before he debuted as a 20-year-old ," Lin added. "Merrill received almost 800 minor-league plate appearances before he arrived shortly before his 21st birthday. Including an Arizona Fall League stint, De Vries hasn’t yet gotten to 500 plate appearances. If he keeps up his current trajectory, he’s probably not far from playing at Petco Park. But being thrown into a potential playoff chase in September feels like a bit much."

De Vries is the No. 3 prospect in MLB after jumping 11 spots in MLB's latest prospect reranking, and is MLB.com projects him to reach the majors in 2027. He was the No. 1 ranked international prospect in 2024, and followed 2023's No. 1 international prospect Ethan Salas to the Padres.

The shortstop is the youngest player in the Midwest League, but you wouldn't be able to tell by watching him. Dubbed "El Mutante," De Vries is slashing .283/.360/.852 with four home runs and 21 RBIs. His batting average leads qualified hitters on the TinCaps, as do his 34 hits on the season.

He hit for the cycle in a career performance April 22, where he had two home runs, eight RBIs and 14 total bases in a 15-14 win. He received Midwest League Player of the Month for his performances in April, becoming the first TinCap to do so since Joey Cantillo in June 2019.

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