Padres finding stability behind the plate with improved depth at catcher

While it was a series to forget for the Padres, as they dropped two of three on the road against the Minnesota Twins, there was a key moment that Friar fans should be happy about as we enter the final month of the regular season.

Elías Díaz hit not one but two home runs in the second game of the series, which the Padres won in blowout fashion by a score of 12–3.

The first homer came in the fifth inning off right-hander Taj Bradley, a solo shot into the left-field bleachers that tied the game at one apiece. It was a fastball right in the heart of the zone that was absolutely tattooed, leaving the bat at 107.2 mph.

San Diego was winning 8–3 when Díaz tagged his second home run of the game, a two-run shot with two outs in the seventh inning off another right-hander in Brooks Kriske. A slider that was hung in the middle of the plate that Díaz turned on. The ball that wasn't his hit as hard as the first one, but it still came off the bat at 100 mph. 

Padres' catching depth saw major improvement on offense in August

In 2025, Díaz has had a hard-hit rate well below league average at 38%, so a performance like this is something that the 34-year-old should carry into the Padres' upcoming series back at Petco against Baltimore.

Since the team traded for Freddy Fermín at the deadline, Díaz has had significantly less playing time behind the plate. But if he can put up solid numbers like this for the rest of the season, that could pay huge dividends for the Padres as they continue to make a run for the NL West crown.

Heading into the winter, Díaz has a mutual option in his contract for the 2026 season. There are plenty of rumors circulating among executives that the Padres may be a landing spot for Baltimore catcher Adley Rutschman, so his future with the team could be in jeopardy. But that is not the focus for now, as the Padres have greater things to worry about as we enter the final stretch of the season.