Padres injury blow might've ended backup catcher race before it really began

In case you missed it: the Padres’ behind-the-plate “competition” just lost the one guy who actually made it feel like a competition. Blake Hunt has been shut down with an oblique injury, and there isn’t a clear return timeline — which, in spring training terms, usually means “not soon enough to matter for Opening Day decisions.” 

The frustrating part for San Diego is Hunt wasn’t just random depth. He was the only realistic pressure point on Luis Campusano — the one catcher in camp who could’ve made the Padres at least think about the order of operations behind Freddy Fermin. And now? That whole lane just narrowed.

Padres’ catching outlook is turning uncomfortably simple for Luis Campusano

At this point, it’s pretty clearly Campusano’s job to lose. Not because he’s run away with it. But because Hunt being sidelined removes the one alternative who could’ve forced the team into a real decision. 

Right now, if the Padres want to pretend there’s still a true camp battle brewing, the only way to manufacture one is outside the organization. And to be fair, there are still a few veteran catchers sitting on the market.

MLB.com’s free-agent tracker still lists Christian Vázquez, Elias Díaz, and Tom Murphy as available options. All three are 35.

However, the Padres can still talk about catching “battles” if they want, but the depth chart reality is harsher than the buzzwords. Hunt was a non-roster sleeper who needed reps and visibility to make this interesting; an oblique shutdown wipes out both. Meanwhile, Campusano already holds the roster advantage and the organizational investment, and that matters when you’re picking a backup catcher you might need for real innings in April. 

That doesn’t mean Campusano is off the hook. If anything, the pressure gets weirder: there’s less competition, but also less margin for the Padres if the defense, game-calling, or consistency slips. Still, unless Hunt’s “foreseeable future” suddenly becomes “next week,” San Diego’s catcher conversation is basically decided for them — and Campusano is the one left standing.