Should Padres be concerned about Luis Campusano? Early signs from San Diego's spring training

Luis Campusano could be in trouble. After being left off the postseason roster last year, things have not gotten much better for the 26-year-old catcher. The Padres have signed veterans Elias Díaz and Martín Maldonado, which has saturated the depth chart for the 2025 season.

Following manager Mike Shildt's latest comments on how he is evaluating his catchers, it is time to get concerned about Luis Campusano.

Shildt is looking for a leader behind the plate. Whether that means the catcher makes his pitchers more successful, or is simply a solid on-field leader, that player will get the starting nod over the others. Díaz and Maldonado have each logged over 10 years of experience, so this hurts Campusano's likelihood of starting on Opening Day.

Maldonado, a World Series champion, is not looking to hang up his cleats just yet. His best chance of playing every day will be on the back of his experience and his leadership, so if that is what Shildt is prioritizing, then the 38-year-old has the leg up over Díaz and Campusano, even if he is 0-for-6 at the plate this spring with four strikeouts. Some fans saw Maldonado's signing as an act of desperation, which may bode true if the rest of the pack continues to not perform well.

Díaz, on the other hand, is historically strong on defense. He throws runners out at a good rate and his framing skills are the best among these three catchers. Díaz is also capable of hitting somewhere in the mid-.260 range. If his leadership doesn't stack up with Maldonado's, Díaz at least has the physical abilities to start at catcher for the Padres. His struggles have been on display in spring, though, hitting .188 in seven games. Surprisingly, that is still the highest batting average among this group.

So, where does this leave Campusano? On defense, his metrics are well-below-average. He's not quite getting it done on offense this spring, either. He is 0-for-his-last-8 entering Monday, batting .167 through six total games. In the 2024 regular season, he was optioned to Triple-A El Paso after hitting 3-for-28 (.107). While Maldonado and Díaz have a skill to fall back on, it doesn't appear that Campusano has anything to put himself in the spotlight as the organization's best catcher.

Once the Padres decided to pass on re-signing Kyle Higashioka, it seemed like the starting job was Campusano's to lose. However, as San Diego has brought on a couple of veterans with far-better areas of talent than Campusano, we might not see him play much in 2025.