Inside The Padres

Former Padres Top Prospect Hits Home Run Off Dodgers Superstar in Promising Sign

Nelson Espinal|
Sep 1, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano (12) looks on against the Tampa Bay Rays at the end of the third inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Sep 1, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano (12) looks on against the Tampa Bay Rays at the end of the third inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

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San Diego Padres

San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano hit a significant home run against Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw this week.

The former Cy Young Award winner is currently doing rehabilitation starts as he recovers from toe and knee injuries.

Kershaw was facing Triple-A El Paso in his third rehab start when Luis Campusano came to the plate and hit his sixth home run of the season.

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In 24 games at the Triple-A level, the former top 100 prospect has a batting line of .318/.434/.600 and an OPS of 1.034.

He has already batted in 16 runs as well, while notching an impressive five extra-base hits.

Campusano is still only 26 years old, which means if he manages to maintain this level of offensive production and it carries over into the majors, he could be in for a late breakout.

He was selected 39th overall by the Padres in 2017 and became a vital component of the team's farm system.

The previously highly touted catcher has played a couple of seasons in the majors, primarily struggling to make his electric bat translate to the big leagues.

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There could still be a future for the player on the team, considering that Martin Maldonado and Elias Diaz are in the twilight of their careers and have not managed to generate much offense themselves.

What they lack in offense, they compensate for with strong command behind the plate, a skill in which Campusano struggles.

Catcher Ethan Salas, currently the Padres' No. 2 prospect, is still a year or two away from being ready for the major leagues.

There is a window for Campusano to really break through, and more home runs like the one he hit off Kershaw will help him get the chance to shine in the majors.

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

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Nelson Espinal
NELSON ESPINAL

Nelson Espinal lives and breathes sports. Avidly following of everything ranging from motorsports to Mixed Martial Arts to tennis, he is connected with most of the sports world at all times. His dream of writing about sports started at 16 years of age, writing for a Lakers fans blog, and his passions for sports writing has grown since. He has his Bachelor's degree in Political Science, and a minor in writing literature from the University of California, San Diego.

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