Padres quietly keep a power-hitting outfielder in camp after a brutal waivers decision

The Padres did the cold-blooded part first, then slipped in the part that should actually matter.

San Diego designated Tirso Ornelas for assignment, let him sweat through waivers, and outrighted him off the 40-man roster to Triple-A El Paso. Brutal. That’s the business side of February, where roster spots are treated like oxygen and somebody always has to be the one who steps outside. 

Padres quietly keep Tirso Ornelas close after a brutal February move

But there’s a twist: Ornelas is still in big-league camp. The Padres announced he cleared waivers and will remain with the major-league group even after being outrighted. That tells you this wasn’t a “we’re done with you” move. It was about needing to fill a 40-man seat right now, and Ornelas was the most squeezable move.

Ornelas is coming off the exact type of minor-league track record the Padres should be chasing harder, not exposing. In 2024 at Triple-A El Paso, he hit .297 with 23 homers, 89 RBIs, and an .864 OPS — and was named the Padres’ minor league player of the year. In a world where the Padres are constantly trying to manufacture offense around their stars, a left-handed outfield bat with real pop isn’t a luxury. 

Yes, his MLB cup of coffee in 2025 was ugly on paper (1-for-14). But that’s seven games. And his season was also disrupted by plantar fasciitis, which is the kind of injury that quietly wrecks timing and comfort for hitters without showing up in one neat headline. 

This wasn’t a verdict on Ornelas’ bat as much as it was a reminder of how the Padres operate in February: urgency first, empathy later. Someone had to be the movable piece, and Ornelas wore it. Fine. But if you’re keeping him in camp anyway, then treat this like it is a live audition for the next opening. Injuries happen. Underperformance happens. And when the Padres need a jolt, it’d be pretty on-brand if the answer is the guy they almost let disappear in February.