Padres move on from struggling southpaw as they reset organizational pitching depth

Small steps can lead to a bigger output. Or at least, that's what the Padres are hoping for following their latest move. San Diego released left-handed minor league pitcher Wes Benjamin after the 32-year-old struggled with injuries and performance on the mound in 2025.

It may seem like like a minuscule move on the surface, but this release has undertones of the Padres trying to tighten up their standards as a new age in the organization is upcoming.

Padres release Wes Benjamin after posting a 6.42 ERA with Triple-A El Paso

In his eighth minor league season, Benjamin posted a 1.67 WHIP and .302 batting average against. Unfortunately for him, that is not going to cut it within a franchise that is going all in on winning a World Series as soon as possible. Considering his age, injury problems, and an FIP almost touching 6.00, this was a move that was imperative of San Diego to make.

The Padres are littered with pitching prospect stars, so to allow for them to continue developing and throwing in more Triple-A games, spots on the roster are going to have to clear up. Let's also not forget that some of these more seasoned prospects might be getting called up sooner rather than later with Robert Suarez departing and Jason Adam's health being unclear for the start of 2026.

Sadly for Benjamin, his time has run out with the Padres. In one season with the club, he registered five or more earned runs in six of his 22 starts. He also gave up allowed five runs in a relief outing once.

Benjamin has logged 21 career appearances at the MLB level with the Texas Rangers in 2020 and 2021. There, he produced a 6.80 ERA in 45 innings. Maybe the Rangers, or another team, will come calling for Benjamin. But with San Diego, he sadly just does not fit the picture of what the team is trying to do with Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill, and Manny Machado still in their prime. It's time to win now.