Padres Placed Key Player on Concussion IL Despite Him Saying He Felt Better

The Padres will be without a key player for at least the next few games.

Jun 8, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Mason Miller (22) is congratulated by catcher Freddy Fermin (54) after the San Diego Padres beat the Cincinnati Reds at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres placed catcher Freddy Fermin on the injured list over the weekend due to a concussion.

While Fermin had told the Padres he was feeling better before the move was made, the team elected to still take the cautious approach and place him on the 7-day IL.

Padres manager Craig Stammen discussed the decision, saying that the team just wanted to take care of its player first and foremost.

“The decision was kind of made after [Saturday’s] game that we need to take care of him,” Stammen said. “… We had to explain a little bit to him this isn’t about today or tomorrow. It’s about your entire life. We’re trying to take care of him in that way.”

The Padres have been dealing with ongoing concussion issues with veteran Jake Cronenworth, and this likely played into how they dealt with Fermin. Cronenworth was cleared from his concussion on April 18, only for him to start having symptoms days later.

The veteran then played with a concussion for nearly three weeks, and he has been on the IL since early May. The Padres want to avoid this happening to Fermin, so taking a more cautious approach is the smart move.

Fermin has been the Padres' primary catcher this season, and has been even more important with Luis Campusano still remaining out due to a toe injury. San Diego couldn't risk losing Fermin for longer than a few games barring any unforeseen issues caused by the concussion.

The timing of this was unfortunate as Fermin had been in the midst of a small breakout this season. But in his absence, Blake Hunt will take over the backup catching duties for the Padres behind Rodolfo Durán. Hunt was called up to replace Fermin on the roster.

The catcher had been with Triple-A El Paso for the past eight games, hitting .269 with one home run and five runs batted in, while posting an OPS of .837.

Durán remains on the roster, and he played a big role in the Padres taking the series from the Orioles. In the finale, Durán went 2-for-4 with three runs batted in to help the Padres get the win.

Durán and Hunt will be used going forward until Fermin can be cleared from concussion protocol. While this isn't ideal, the Padres aren't taking any chances with their catcher.

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