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Padres Notes: 22-Year-Old Breakout Star, Nick Castellanos Struggles, Gavin Sheets History

Catch up on all the latest Padres news and notes.
Gabe Smallson|
Feb 22, 2026; Peoria, Arizona, USA; San Diego Padres outfielder Nick Castellanos against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Feb 22, 2026; Peoria, Arizona, USA; San Diego Padres outfielder Nick Castellanos against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres had a well-deserved off day on Friday as they prepare to take on the Arizona Diamondbacks in Mexico. The two-game set is part of the MLB World Tour Mexico City Series and will be played at Estadio Alfredo Harlp Helú with a capacity of 20,062.

In on-the-field news, the Friars have a potential star on their hands as a 22-year-old pitching prospect has been dazzling the mound out of the bullpen thus far. Across 12.1 innings of work, the right-hander has a 0.73 ERA and has earned high praise from manager Craig Stammen.

"We view him as an elite part of our bullpen and someone that’s going to be a part of our bullpen for a long time and pitching kind of those important spots," Stammen said.

The No. 6 prospect in the Padres' system boasts a 98.3 mph average four seam fastball, but it's only the third-most frequent offering in his arsenal. His dangerous 89.4 mph average changeup is his most-used pitch this season, is swung-on-and-missed 47.5% of the time and has yet to be hit by opposing batters in 2026.

In other news, Padres veteran outfielder Nick Castellanos is off to a rough start to his tenure in San Diego. The two-time All-Star is batting .146 through 48 at-bats with 14 strikeouts, but earlier this month spoke on the process of still finding what will work best in the batting order.

“I still feel like we’re figuring out who fits what, what role is for who," Castellanos said. "I think just some time and games played and at-bats, hopefully everything will sort itself out. We’re like a Rubik’s Cube right now, figuring out who belongs where with what responsibilities.”

Finally, slugger Gavin Sheets delivered one of the most exciting moments of the season thus far with a Wednesday night game-winning home run which happened to also be on his 30th birthday. Sheets was a part of some rare history, both in terms of MLB and the franchise after the swing, but most importantly, it was the cherry on top of a wild ninth inning.

Here’s all the latest Padres news and stories (click the headline for the full article):

Padres Breakout Player: 22-Year-Old Top Prospect Showing Signs of Stardom

Padres' Nick Castellanos at Risk of Losing Roster Spot Amid Struggles

Padres' Gavin Sheets Makes Insane History With Game-Winning Home Run vs Rockies

Padres' Manny Machado 'Done' With ABS Challenges

Padres' Mason Miller Loses One Streak in Win vs Rockies

Padres vs Diamondbacks Mexico City Series Preview, Pitching Probables, Bold Prediction

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Gabe Smallson
GABE SMALLSON

Gabe Smallson is a sportswriter based in Los Angeles with a focus in sports and entertainment content. Gabe has previously worked at Newsweek and Dodgers Nation. He graduated from San Francisco State University in 2020 and received his Masters of Science at the University of Southern California in 2025.

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