10:15am: The Padres are calling up bullpen prospect Bradgley Rodriguez, reports Daniel Alvarez Montes of El Extra Base. He’s not on the 40-man roster, so they’ll need to formally select his contract. San Diego currently has three vacancies on their 40-man roster, however, so only a corresponding active roster move will be needed.
The 21-year-old Rodriguez will jump straight from Double-A to the big leagues. He’s appeared in 18 games this season and totaled 22 1/3 innings with a 3.22 ERA, a massive 34.8% strikeout rate and just a 5.6% walk rate. That walk rate, in particular, represents a massive step forward for a pitcher who issued a free pass to 12.2% of his opponents last year.
Both Baseball America and MLB.com ranked Rodriguez 14th among Padres prospects entering the season. His heater sits in the upper 90s and climbs as high as 101 mph, and he keeps lefties off balance with a plus changeup in the upper 80s/low 90s that both outlets tout as his best pitch. Rodriguez also works a slider into his arsenal, but it’s a third pitch that he rarely throws to lefties, per BA’s scouting report.
Rodriguez adds a high-octane arm to a bullpen that already ranks ninth in the majors with a 3.39 ERA and seventh with a combined 24.2% strikeout rate. The promising young righty will make his MLB debut the first time he’s called into a game by skipper Mike Shildt, though given his pedigree, he’ll have a chance to make a lasting impression and carve out a long-term role. Rodriguez has been sidelined by elbow injuries in the past during his minor league tenure, but he was dominant in 61 1/3 frames last year and has been excellent so far in 2025. The Friars control him for six full seasons (at least) beyond the current campaign.
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