Padres to Call Up Top Pitching Prospect to Replace Injured All-Stars

He'll make his debut Tuesday.

David Frerker-USA TODAY Sports

The San Diego Padres are calling up pitching prospect Adam Mazur from Triple-A El Paso to start for the team on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels, per Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune. This will be Mazur's official MLB debut. Mazur is the Padres' fifth-ranked overall prospect per MLB.com, and their third best pitching prospect. While pitching prospects Robby Snelling and Dylan Lesko rank higher than Mazur, neither has reached the Triple-A level yet and still have time before they're ready to rise to the majors.

The San Diego Padres are calling up pitching prospect Adam Mazur, according to a source familiar with the situation. Mazur, the Padres’ No. 5 prospect, is expected to start on Tuesday.

— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) June 3, 2024

Mazur of course earns this opportunity due to the injuries to starters Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove. The Padres placed their top-two starters on the injured list over the weekend, as Darvish deals with a left groin strain and Musgrove works through elbow inflammation. This is the second time both Darvish and Musgrove have been placed on the IL this season, with Darvish missing time in April due to neck tightness and Musgrove having these elbow issues for much of May. With both of them out at the same time, the Padres needed to call up Mazur.

Mazur makes his debut after starting four games in Triple-A this season. The former second-round pick out of Iowa has started four games in Triple-A this year, posting a 1-2 record with a 7.11 ERA as he gave up 15 earned runs and four home runs across 19 innings. Mazur did much better in Double-A this season, going 3-1 during six starts while posting a 1.95 ERA.

With only those four starts of Triple-A experience, the Padres will have to brace for Mazur to potentially struggle in his debut since he has not excelled yet in Triple-A. The good news is Mazur will get to face the Angels, one of the worst teams in MLB, which could make his first start much smoother.