Padres Rookie Had Brutal Travel Day Ahead of MLB Debut vs Astros

San Diego Padres outfielder Tirso Ornelas was recalled from Triple-A El Paso as Jason Heyward was placed on the 10-day injured list with left knee inflammation over the weekend.

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The Padres' outfielder depth continued to dwindle as three players are currently on the IL in Jackson Merrill, Brandon Lockridge, and Heyward. However, it gave Ornelas an opportunity he had been waiting for after spending the last eight seasons in the minors.

The rookie learned late Friday night the Padres had called him up to the big leagues, and the journey itself to join the team was quite a challenge.

Ornelas arrived at Albuquerque airport at 6 a.m., but his flight was delayed until 1 p.m. While he waited for his flight, he slept on a jacket on the floor.

On Sunday Night Baseball, Ornelas made his Major League debut at Daikin Park against the Houston Astros. He entered the game in the seventh inning as a pinch-hitter, and recorded a flyout to left field.

Although the at-bat wasn't exactly ideal, Ornelas accomplished a monumental milestone in the Padres' 3-2 loss to the Astros.

“I was nervous. It was my first at-bat in the Majors. It was an incredible feeling,” Ornelas said through an interpreter to MLB.com. “In terms of that at-bat, I was just looking for a pitch that I could handle. I know [Astros reliever Tayler Scott] had a lot of movement on his fastball. So he got the best of me, but I’m sure I’ll be ready for tomorrow.”

The 25-year-old was batting .281 with a .777 OPS in Triple-A. He hit .297 with an .864 OPS with El Paso last season.

With several outfielders on the IL, Ornelas may see additional time in the big leagues with San Diego.

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For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.