The Padres introduced that they’ve positioned Jason Heyward on the 10-day injured checklist on account of irritation in his left knee. They’ve recalled outfielder Tirso Ornelas to the foremost league roster to interchange Heyward. Ornelas’ first recreation shall be his MLB debut, and his anticipated call-up was first reported by Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune earlier this afternoon.
Ornelas, 25, was signed by the Padres out of Tijuana, Mexico, and made his professional debut in 2017. He’s slowly however absolutely climbed up the minor league ladder since then. After a quick call-up to Triple-A in 2022, he arrived on the degree completely in 2023 and has been enjoying there ever since with a powerful profession .291/.367/.462 slash line throughout 203 video games for the membership’s El Paso affiliate. Defensively, Ornelas has logged time in all three outfield spots and made occasional cameos at first base all through his profession, although he’s largely been confined to the outfield corners.
The teenager’s massive league debut comes throughout a rash of accidents for the Padres, who had already misplaced Jackson Merrill, Jake Cronenworth and Brandon Lockridge to the injured checklist earlier than Heyward joined them in the present day. It’s been a significant check of the membership’s depth, significantly in heart area, the place they’ve resorted to utilizing Tyler Wade and Connor Joe on the place on account of a scarcity of viable alternate options. Ornelas shall be tasked with changing Heyward within the lineup as soon as he joins the membership. The 35-year-old veteran has gotten off to a sluggish begin this yr, hitting simply .190/.255/.286 in 17 video games with the membership, even whereas being closely platoon-protected by San Diego.
Acee goes on to recommend that an expanded position for Gonzalez can also’t essentially be dominated out, suggesting {that a} “silver lining” in Heyward’s absence has been a chance to get a greater have a look at the 27-year-old. He’s accomplished pretty effectively for himself within the early going this yr, posting six hits in 18 plate appearances with robust batted ball information regardless of no extra-base hits in that microscopic pattern measurement. Gonzalez really hits higher towards right-handed hitters than lefties traditionally, so it’s at the least believable that Gonzalez might slip into one thing of an everyday position with the membership in left area whereas Ornelas is up if the teenager is tabbed to deal with heart area as an alternative of left.
After all, a lot of that can rely upon how the membership plans to make use of Ornelas now that he’s set to affix the roster. It’s unclear if Ornelas shall be within the combine for time in heart area for the membership; whereas he’s logged simply 50 video games on the place within the minors over time, neither Wade nor Joe is especially skilled on the place both. It’s additionally unclear if Ornelas shall be in as strict of a platoon as Heyward has been whereas he’s with the membership, although even when Gonzalez takes up an on a regular basis job in the intervening time the presence of Joe (who has a profession 105 wRC+ towards left-handed hitters) makes a platoon a viable choice for the Padres.
