By sending Luis Campusano to Triple-A, the Padres hope to create clarity at the catcher position – San Diego Union-Tribune

SEATTLE – At least for now, the Padres believe Luis Campusano is not part of their best combination of catchers.

This is done in part so they can find out if the same holds true for the postseason.

Campusano, who began the season as the team's primary catcher, was relegated to Triple-A on Wednesday as part of a series of moves that included placing starting pitcher Martín Pérez on the paternity list and recalling left-handed reliever Tom Cosgrove and outfielder Brandon Lockridge from Triple-A.

“It gives (Campusano) the opportunity to play every day,” said AJ Preller, the Padres' president of baseball operations. “And obviously gives us a chance to see a little bit more of (Elías) Díaz.”

Díaz, a veteran who played parts of 10 major league seasons and was released by the Rockies on Aug. 16, signed a minor league contract with the Padres on Aug. 26 and was called up to the team on Sept. 1. He has started just one game and appeared as a late-inning reliever in two others.

Since his signing, however, the Padres have wanted to see if he could help them in their fight for the postseason and in the event that they make it to October.

Campusano started 49 of the Padres' first 70 games. He had an OPS of over .700 through April, but has struggled at times both offensively and defensively since then.

Kyle Higashioka was in top form at the plate, hitting 13 home runs in 33 starts from June 1 to August 7 and getting most of his playing time starting in mid-June.

“A tough call for everyone involved, especially Campy,” manager Mike Shildt said Wednesday afternoon. “He started the season with us and did a good job for us. Higgy came in and came through, got comfortable with the personnel and got more playing time. Campy missed a little bit of time (was on the injured list with a thumb injury), which gave Higgy more opportunities, which he took advantage of. We were able to sign Díaz, an experienced player who has clearly had success in this league. …

“We just looked and realized that Campy isn't getting that much time. He's still a younger player and has developed tremendously. … We just decided that right now it's best for him and us to go down and play.”

Lockridge, 27, was acquired from the Yankees on July 30 in exchange for reliever Enyel De Los Santos. He has never played in the major leagues. He probably won't get much playing time since the Padres are in the playoff hunt and have several off days to rest their starters. But the team wants to see how he fares on defense and running the bases. Lockridge has stolen 46 bases this season after stealing 40 in 2023. When assembling a playoff roster, it may be a choice between him and Bryce Johnson.

The Padres entered Wednesday tied with the Diamondbacks at the top of the National League wild-card standings, two games ahead of the Mets and 2.5 ahead of the Braves. The wild-card round begins Oct. 1.

Pérez may be out for three days. He will rejoin the team in San Francisco and start on Sunday after Dylan Cease leaves on Friday and Joe Musgrove leaves on Saturday.

This probably means Díaz will catch on Friday and Sunday, just as Campusano has generally caught Cease and Pérez.

Originally published: September 11, 2024 at 5:56 p.m.