Tirso

Ornelas

Ornelas wasn’t able to make the most of his first big league opportunity, but he continues to have a solid season at Triple-A, hitting .291 with three home runs, 26 RBI and a .784 OPS. The Padres are trotting Tyler Wade out in left field with Jason Heyward (oblique) on the IL, so they may decide to give Ornelas another chance at some point.

Ornelas is down with Brandon Lockridge (hamstring) off of the 10-day injured list. Ornelas has more upside in his profile than Lockridge, but San Diego likely wants the former to get more consistent playing time. He could/should be back before 2025 comes to a close.

It looks like anyone hoping Ornelas would get a real chance here is going to be disappointed. The Padres have Mason McCoy, Tyler Wade and Oscar Gonzalez in the lineup tonight, but there’s no room for Ornelas, who was hitting .281/.418/.359 in Triple-A before being promoted Saturday.

Ornelas is up with Jason Heyward on the injured list with knee inflammation. The 25-year-old outfielder will likely see time in the corner outfield while Heyward recovers, but it’s hard to picture him as great redraft option at this point.

Ornelas impressed in spring, hitting .294 with one home run in 57 plate appearances. He’s started off strong in Triple-A as well, going 5-for-12 with five runs scored and two RBI in three games. He figures to get the first crack at an outfield job if the Padres decide to move on from veterans like Jason Heyward or Gavin Sheets.

Ornelas was unable to win a spot on the Opening Day roster. The 25-year-old performed well in El Paso last year, and he’ll repeat the level — at least to begin the 2025 campaign — again.

The Padres could still really use J.D. Martinez or maybe David Peralta as a DH option, but since they’ve yet to go that route, Ornelas has a shot of making the team and getting a lot of time at the spot initially. The soon-to-be 25-year-old hit .297/.367/.497 in Triple-A last season. His exit velocity numbers aren’t very impressive, but he did have a rather nice 88/53 K/BB in 548 plate appearances last year.

The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports Gurriel will make $1.25 million if he’s in the majors. The 40-year-old veteran first baseman got into 18 contests last year for Kansas City and figures to have a decent shot at making San Diego’s season-opening lineup in a backup role behind Luis Arraez and Jake Cronenworth. He’ll compete in spring training with some combination of Jason Heyward, Connor Joe, Tirso Ornelas and Eguy Rosario for regular DH at-bats. There’s very little fantasy impact here, but his presence gives the Padres some insurance in case Ornelas isn’t ready for the big-league spotlight.

The positive news here is that X-rays came back negative for any fractures after Merrill fouled a ball off his leg in the game in the contest against the Giants and was replaced by Tyler Wade in center. He’s presumably day-to-day for the moment. However, if this turns into something more significant, the Padres could bring up Tirso Ornelas to help out in the outfield.

Ornelas will remain stationed on the doorstep of the majors, but has been officially added to San Diego’s 40-man roster. The 24-year-old outfielder has been excellent this season for Triple-A El Paso, batting .316/.390/.515 with 12 homers and five steals across 310 plate appearances through 74 contests. He figures to get an opportunity at some point in the second half.