Padres Catcher Removed From Wednesday's Game With Apparent Injury

San Diego Padres starting catcher Freddy Fermin was forced to exit Wednesday's game against the Seattle Mariners in the top of the third inning after taking a foul ball off his mask.

The foul ball was tipped off the bat of Brendan Donovan and went directly into the middle of Fermin's mask. He was down for a few minutes before walking off the field and into the clubhouse.

Fermin was replaced by Luis Campusano, the only other catcher on the Padres' active or 40-man roster.

Fermin is in the midst of his first season as a starting catcher after spending his entire career with the Kansas City Royals as a backup to Salvador Perez.

The Padres acquired Fermin ahead of last year's trade deadline, giving up two controllable starting pitchers in Stephen Kolek and Ryan Bergert to complete the deal. He became the Padres' starting catcher to finish the 2025 season, appearing in 42 games and hitting .244 with two home runs, 14 runs batted in and an OPS of .617.

Wednesday's game was Fermin's 15th of the year, as he and Campusano have entered multiple games as defensive replacements for each other when manager Craig Stammen has decided to utilize a pinch-hitter.

Fermin didn't get a plate appearance in Wednesday's game. On the year, he's hitting 5-for-31 (.161) with two RBIs and an OPS of .496.

The Padres will now rely on Campusano for the remainder of Wednesday's game — and it remains to be seen how much longer after that.

Campusano is in the midst of a make-or-break year, and so far, he's making things happen. The 27-year-old entered Wednesday's game hitting 7-for-21 (.333) with one home run, four RBIs and an OPS of 1.030.

Campusano has also been Michael King's personal catcher, and has done a wonderful job leading the right-hander early this season.

Who is the Padres' Emergency Catcher?

The Padres' emergency third catcher is infielder Ty France. If something were to happen to Campusano on Wednesday, France would be tasked with putting on the catcher's gear.

The Padres will hope to not have to cross that bridge on Wednesday night. As for Thursday, the team will need to evaluate Fermin before potentially bringing another catcher to San Diego.

The Padres don't have any other catchers on the 40-man roster. First pitch for Thursday's game is a little earlier at 5:40 p.m. PT.

Padres Catcher Removed From Triple-A Game After Freddy Fermin Injury

Catcher Rodolfo Durán, who's in Triple-A with the El Paso Chihuahuas, was removed from Wednesday's game in the bottom of the ninth inning after Fermin exited the Padres game.

Durán was 2-for-4 with a home run and five RBIs before being lifted from the game. He's hitting .227 with an OPS of .772 in Triple-A.

He would need to be added to the 40-man roster if the Padres plan on having him join the team.

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