Luis Campusano

Once regarded as one of MLB's top catching prospects, Campusano has failed to take advantage of the Padres' dire need for a good-hitting catcher over the past few years. After managing 15 homers across 2023 and 2024, Campusano went hitless over 27 plate appearances in the majors last season, striking out 11 times while drawing six walks. With that said, Campusano dominated with his bat at the Triple-A level, posting a 1.024 OPS with 24 long balls and 92 RBI across 104 games. It says a lot that a backstop putting up those numbers would spend so little time with the big club, as does the fact that all 10 of Campusano's big-league appearances came as a DH or pinch hitter, as San Diego spent the first half of the campaign rolling out the offensively challenged duo of Elias Diaz and Martin Maldonado. Campusano's defense remains a significant obstacle to his path to a big-league role, though Padres GM AJ Preller revealed after the season that Campusano will be "in the mix" in 2026. That likely means he'll be given a chance to secure the backup catcher role behind Freddy Fermin. If Campusano shows enough improvement with the bat and the glove, it's feasible that the pair could eventually split duties fairly evenly. Read Past Outlooks