Journeyman Catcher Enjoying Underrated Season with the Padres
· Yahoo Sports
Luis Campusano‘s major-league career has been quite the roller coaster. After making his MLB debut in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, he made meaningful contributions for the San Diego Padres during the stretch run of the 2022 season. The Friars got some solid production from the young backstop before he impressed in a major way in 2023.
In that year, Campusano slashed .319/.356/.491 across 49 games before regressing in 2024. In double the time (91 games), Campusano hit .227/.281/.361 with a subpar .642 OPS. His 78 OPS+ was 22 points below league average. That didn’t help Campusano’s case to join the big-league team, and he was given just 10 games with the big-league club in 2025 before he was sent down to Triple-A yet again.
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Aug 12, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano (12) hits a walk-off single during the eleventh inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn ImagesLuis Campusano’s Underrated Season with San Diego
The Triple-A Merchant
It’s hard to understand why Campusano wasn’t called up sooner. Through nine seasons in the minor leagues, Campusano posted an incredible .308/.385/.499 slash line. In his six Triple-A seasons, he was even better. The backstop slashed .314/.397/.545 with a .942 OPS. In 105 games with the El Paso Chihuahuas, the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate, Campusano hit .336 with a monstrous 1.036 OPS. He had 26 extra-base hits and 25 home runs in what was an incredible season in the minors.
Perhaps the biggest reason why Campusano was never called up was Padres’ manager Mike Shildt. Shildt seemed to prefer the veteran duo of Elias Díaz and Martín Maldonado over the younger Luis Campusano. Much of that was due to Shildt’s defense-first philosophy with the catcher position. Shildt often preached that he was willing to take a hit at offense to prioritize defense behind the dish. Despite his potent bat, Campusano was often rated lower defensively. That could be why he never spent much time at the big-league level.
A New Opportunity
This year, Campusano was rewarded for his production with trust from the Padres’ new coaching staff. With Díaz and Maldonado now out of the picture, Campusano and Freddy Fermin were all but confirmed to form the catching duo for San Diego. He earned that spot despite hitting a meager .206/.308/.265 during spring training. With only Blake Hunt and top prospect Ethan Salas behind him, Campusano was the easy pick for manager Craig Stammen.
Part of that was due to Stammen’s trust in Campusano’s bat to do most of the talking. Much of Campusano’s newfound confidence at the plate seems to be due to the fact that he isn’t worried about his place with the big-league club. He’s no longer under constant threat of being sent down to the minors, and that has renewed his confidence in the box.
An Underrated 2026 Campaign
Looking at the numbers, it’s hard to understand why Campusano doesn’t get as much credit. He had an incredibly hot start to the season. Entering play on Saturday, his .283/.384/.465 slash line is fantastic, especially from a backstop. Catchers are generally known for their lack of offense. Campusano has put up numbers that say otherwise. Out of all catchers with 150-plus at-bats, Campusano ranks first in on-base percentage (.384), third in batting average (.283) and OPS (.849), and seventh in slugging percentage (.465).
Derailed by Injury
The only seeming black mark on his record is that Campusano has hit just six home runs this season, tied for 35th among all catchers (150+ ABs). The problem with that ranking is that he missed a long stretch of time on the injured list after fracturing his toe in early May. Campusano was gone for two months before returning to the club on July 4. With that in mind, his six homers in 159 at-bats is much better than it seems.
To get an idea of what it could have been like over a full season, most primary catchers currently have somewhere around 450 at-bats. Taking Campusano’s six home runs in 159 at-bats and applying that to 450 at-bats gives him a potential 17 home runs. That’s a much more respectable number, tying Campusano for seventh among catchers in homers instead of 35th.
San Diego’s Playoff Chase
The Padres are currently in the thick of the playoff race for the final NL Wild Card spot. In another example of their recent clutchness, San Diego got a much-needed win over the New York Yankees on Friday night thanks to an extra-innings, walk-off home run from Campusano. That win, along with the Arizona Diamondbacks’ loss to the Houston Astros, put the Friars back in the playoffs. Those standings will likely flip-flop for the remainder of the season until the two contenders face off for the final series of the regular season.
LUIS CAMPUSANO WALK-OFF HOMER! pic.twitter.com/qjazLzaDeL
— MLB (@MLB) September 5, 2026
But Campusano could play a major role in San Diego’s postseason aspirations. He hasn’t hit particularly well lately (.250/.353/.432 in his last 15 games), but he turned a major corner on Friday night. Campusano threw out three baserunners, going 2-for-4 at the plate with his walk-off over the New York Yankees. If that production continues over the next month, and into October, it would be a massive addition for San Diego.
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Main Photo Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports