Former Padres Top 3 Prospect Doesn't Make Opening Day Roster, Putting SD Future in Jeopardy

The San Diego Padres have seemingly finalized their roster ahead of Opening Day.

There were a few major roster omissions that will be starting the season in Triple-A such as offseason signee Connor Joe, potential starting pitcher Stephen Kolek, bullpen piece Ron Marinaccio, and former top prospect Luis Campusano.

More news: Padres Make Massive Roster Move, Officially Finalize Opening Day Roster

We have optioned C Luis Campusano, INF/OF Connor Joe, and RHPs Stephen Kolek and Ron Marinaccio to Triple-A El Paso.
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) March 25, 2025

This move not only rounds out the pitching room, but also sends a message about the catcher situation in San Diego.

Campusano was the No. 3 overall prospect for the Padres in 2021 and 2022, but has struggled to live up to the lofty expectations since.

The 26-year-old has come a long way since smashing a home run in his brief 2020 MLB debut, but at the same time, he is still looking to recapture the magic of that moment.

The 2022 campaign brought a Triple-A showing of .298/.363/.483 and an OPS of .846, adding 14 home runs and 60 RBIs. The catcher took a huge step up in ‘23, playing 49 games with the Padres and putting up productive numbers in his chunk of major league play, batting .319/.356/.491 with an OPS of .847.

More news: Padres' $14 Million All-Star Predicted to Lead NL in Key Stat Category in 2025

Last season, however, his major league experience increased, but with that came a decrease in offensive production.

Campusano played 91 games for the Padres, batting .227/.281/.361 with an OPS of .642 in that stretch. Things continued to project downward as this spring, Campusano batted .214/.241/.321 with an OPS of .573.

Especially with the departure of catcher Kyle Higashioka, the writing was on the wall for this season to be a jumping-off point for the 26-year-old catcher, rather than being stashed in Triple-A once again.

Ethan Salas is the No. 2 overall prospect waiting in the wings as he is not only a catcher putting pressure on Campusanom but has been continually impressing scouts with his bat.

With Campusano never really growing into his past organizational rankings, his future in San Diego may be in doubt, especially with the 18-year-old Salas right behind him on the depth chart. The two backstops are both looking to make a name for themselves in MLB, but it looks increasingly less likely that both will be able to do that on the Padres.

Campusano wasn't able to break camp with a club that added two aging veterans this offseason in Elias Diaz and Martin Maldonado. After this season, he'll likely be in Salas' shadow.

More news: Padres Add Cy Young Winner, San Diego Legend to Organization

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