Tirso

Ornelas

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.

All of the players were long shots to make the MLB roster but will continue to hone their skills and get ready for their respective minor league seasons. The Padres now have 60 players in MLB camp.

Ornelas returns to San Diego as extra organizational depth after slashing .285/.371/.452 with 15 homers and eight steals across 552 plate appearances this past season between Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A El Paso. The 23-year-old has yet to reach the big leagues, but his opportunity could come eventually if he keeps sticking around in the upper minors for a few more years.