Padres’ catching depth takes a deflating hit as a non-roster sleeper is sidelined

The Padres didn’t shut down their entire catching plan, but they definitely poked a hole in the part that was supposed to keep everyone honest.

Blake Hunt has been shut down with an oblique injury, and there’s no firm timetable yet — just the kind of “foreseeable future” language that usually means spring reps are about to get eaten alive by the calendar. 

Padres may be forced into an uneasy catching pivot after Blake Hunt injury

Hunt was the most believable pressure point on Luis Campusano, the guy who technically has the roster advantage but absolutely hasn’t earned the vibe of “safe.” Hunt came into camp as a non-roster invitee and looked like Campusano’s clearest competition for that backup catcher job behind Freddy Fermin. 

Now that competition takes a hit, and this is where the Padres’ depth gets a little uncomfortable.

Campusano is out of options, but the bigger issue is trust. The bat hasn’t shown up in the majors yet, and the defense hasn’t been strong enough to float him when the offense is light. He went hitless in 27 plate appearances in the big leagues last year, and his overall recent production is hard to sell if you’re trying to win tight games in April. Even his early spring line (2-for-12) isn’t screaming “problem solved.” 

Hunt was the easy alternative because he’s been on the fringe of the majors forever and, quietly, he hit in Triple-A last year: .272/.368/.452 with a 108 wRC+ in 68 games in the Mariners organization. He’s also a familiar Padres name — a 2017 second-round pick who got shipped out in the Blake-for-Blake Snell deal before he ever got close to Petco. The reunion was supposed to be a low-cost way to raise the floor of the room.

With him sidelined, the next layer gets thin fast. Ethan Salas isn’t walking through that door anytime soon, and the only other catcher in camp with even Triple-A experience is Rodolfo Durán. 

So, this could hand Campusano more leash than he actually deserves. And if Hunt’s oblique turns into weeks instead of days, the Padres probably have to shop the late-spring bargain bin — a veteran free agent like Tom Murphy or Christian Vázquez, or the annual wave of opt-outs and minor trades as other clubs trim rosters. 

It’s March, so no one needs to panic. But the Padres were building a catching setup that relied on tension. Losing the guy who created it is a deflating way to start.