By AJ Cassavell | 7:21 p.m. EDT
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TORONTO — The ailing Padres reshuffled their roster Tuesday afternoon, taking a number of actions ahead of the series opener against the Blue Jays.
Perhaps most notably, catcher Luis Campusano has returned after being sidelined for three months with a left thumb injury that required surgery. But the Padres didn’t stop there. They promoted outfielder Taylor Kohlwey, who will make his big league debut, and triple-A El Paso first baseman Alfonso Rivas.
To make room, catcher Austin Nola and utility man Brandon Dixon were sent to El Paso while Rougned Odor was slated for deployment.
Here are some quick takeaways for the Padres’ busy day:
1. The Padres needed a shake
After losing three of four games at the break, the Padres’ season faltered. They are six games under .500 and eight games away from a playoff spot as the trade deadline nears. If ever there was a time to shake things up and see what works, this was it.
So Odor’s move may have come as a surprise, but certainly not a shock. The veteran infielder was a huge hit for the Padres in May (four homers and 15 RBIs). But he only hit .189/.268/.243 in the last month.
“Rougie was really popular here and off to a good start,” said manager Bob Melvin. “Maybe just here recently [he was] not so good. But I think maybe it’s more: if the team isn’t playing well, you try to make adjustments.”
Also included are Kohlwey and Rivas, two left-handers who have had little else to prove in the hit-friendly Pacific Coast League. The Padres figured they might as well see what they have to offer.
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2. Campusano’s workload
The Padres didn’t like Gary Sánchez’s heavy workload behind the plate – and perhaps that workload has led to his recent difficulties after a quick start.
Campusano has a chance to earn a larger share of playing time than Nola was allotted. The Padres envisioned big things for Campusano in his 24-year season, praising the strides he’d made defensively and his influence on the plate. He then suffered an injury two weeks into the season.
“I thought it would match,” Campusano said. “It’s just a consolation, I felt good. I still feel like nothing has really changed. It’s just a minor setback but I’m here now so I’m ready to go.”
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Melvin noted that Campusano is expected to launch in Toronto on Wednesday, but didn’t want to commit to a firm schedule behind the plate, saying only, “We’re going to put together the best possible lineup for that particular day.”
As for Nola, his 2023 season was disappointing but the Padres were happy he still had an option year so he remains in their system.
“Get down there and get some at-bats because he’s a better player than he’s shown here,” Melvin said. “He obviously hasn’t played much lately. The workload for Gary was pretty extreme so Campy will get a share of the games.”
3. Organizational Stability
Recently, the Padres promoted Matthew Batten, Alek Jacob, Ryan Weathers (now optional) and now Kohlwey. In a squad that hasn’t featured many local players before, that’s a significant change.
And maybe a purposeful one.
“There’s this pride factor with people who show up in your system and have been there for a while,” Melvin said. “There has to be a way to the big leagues. … I don’t know [if] that was the reason for it. But I think it’s probably good for the organization that more people from our system are coming here.”
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Kohlwey was at the cinema Monday night, 30 minutes into the latest Mission: Impossible movie. That’s when he received a text message from Triple-A manager Phillip Wellman telling him he had to leave the theater. Shortly thereafter, Wellman broke the news and Kohlwey made his way to Toronto.
“I’ll just try to soak it all up, do my best and get better every day,” said Kohlwey. “Try to help wherever I can.”
The Padres anticipate using Kohlwey in various capacities as a versatile outfielder, a solid runner and a left-handed pinch-hit weapon.
And when he’s done all that, maybe he can see the rest of Mission: Impossible.