Padres shouldn't rule out a versatile in-house bat for 2026

The Padres’ minor league system is enduring a massive re-build, after the front office traded 13 of their prospects away at the 2025 trade deadline. Selling out the farm in exchange for a championship in 2025 turned out to be a complete failure, as San Diego was greeted with an early exit in the Wild Card round at the hands of the Chicago Cubs.

The pain doesn’t even end there, as A.J. Preller is set to see five notable players depart in free agency, not to mention that he will be in search of a new manager, since Mike Shildt announced his shocking retirement at age 57.

Tirso Ornelas could be the Padres’ sneaky in-house lineup fix for 2026

Looping back to the minor league system’s dismay, the Padres have only two prospects ranked in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 (Ethan Salas and Kruz Schoolcraft). But there is one prospect who has the potential to make the leap to big-league play again after a not so great first impression.

Tirso Ornelas made seven appearances in April with the Padres and struggled mightily. In 14 at-bats, he hit a dismal 1-for-14 (.071) with a -24 OPS+ (124% worse than the league-average hitter), leading to a quick demotion back to Triple-A. 

During his time back at the Triple-A level, Ornelas continued to show potential, as he hit .289 with an .834 OPS. More importantly, he has shown that his bat contains a lot of pop, hitting 10 home runs while driving in 57 runs in 318 at-bats.

Now 25 years old, Ornelas now has more opportunity to show his potential at the major league level, with plenty of roster spots opening up, including first base, where Preller needs to make a decision about what he is going to do.

Perhaps Ornelas could serve as a solid bench piece for whoever manages the Padres next, as he is versatile and being open to playing both first base and left field.

Entering the offseason, the Padres have only $47 million in available payroll, so paying cheap contracts would be a delight. It will be interesting to see how long Ornelas remains in the minor leagues before being recalled.