Padres Cut Outfielder From Spring Roster, Option Pitcher as Opening Day Nears

The San Diego Padres reassigned outfielder Tirso Ornelas to minor league camp and optioned right-handed pitcher Garrett Hawkins to Triple-A, the team announced on Friday.

There are now 56 players in Major League camp with less than two weeks to go until Opening Day.

We have optioned RHP Garrett Hawkins to Triple-A El Paso and reassigned OF Tirso Ornelas to minor league camp.

With today’s moves, we now have 56 players in Major League camp.
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) March 13, 2026

The Padres need to get the roster down to 26 by Opening Day, so there will be plenty more cuts over the next week and a half.

Tirso Ornelas reassigned to minor league camp

Ornelas, 26, is ranked as the No. 25 prospect in San Diego's organization, per MLB Pipeline.

The outfielder made his MLB debut last year, going 1-for-14 (.071) with one RBI, two walks and two strikeouts. In Triple-A, he appeared in 82 games, slashing .289/.384/.450 with 10 home runs, 57 RBIs and an OPS of .833.

This spring, Ornelas went 3-for-11 (.273) with one home run and an OPS of .974.

Ornelas will likely start the 2026 season in Triple-A, where he'll hope to impress enough to earn an MLB call-up to provide outfield depth to a team that suddenly has a lot of it.

Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill and Ramón Laureano make up the starting outfield, with Nick Castellanos and Miguel Andujar having the ability to cover either of the corners. Bryce Johnson, who can play all three outfield spots, has a chance to make the Opening Day roster, too.

Garrett Hawkins optioned to Triple-A

Hawkins, 26, is the Padres' No. 14 ranked prospect, per MLB Pipeline. A ninth-round pick in 2021, he's pitched as high as Double-A, where he made 13 appearances last year, sporting a 1.69 ERA across 16 innings.

Hawkins was named the Padres' Minor League Pitcher of the Year last year. At one point, he pitched 38 consecutive scoreless innings, the longest such streak in Minor League Baseball since 2015

Hawkins made six relief appearances this spring, allowing three runs over 5.1 innings for a 5.06 ERA. He had six strikeouts to two walks and will now get the opportunity to continue improving in the minor leagues.

Hawkins appears set to open the season in Triple-A, where he'll look to pick up where he left off last year. It wouldn't be surprising to see him make his MLB debut at some point this season.

Hawkins has a plus-fastball and also mixes in a slider and changeup. He needs to improve upon the walks in what will be his fifth season in the Padres organization after missing all of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery.

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