While the Padres’ top signee from their 2022 international g period (Jarlin Susana) wound up being part of the haul needed to pry Juan Soto from the Nationals later that summer, the organization still has talent rising from that class.
Like Rosman Verdugo.
The 20-year-old infielder is already one shy of his career high with nine home runs after powering high Single-A Fort Wayne to a 4-2 win in a rain-shortened game on Tuesday at Beloit.
Verdugo also walked twice, the last with two outs in the seventh inning when the game was called.
Verdugo is hitting just .224/.343/.473 after watching his OPS drop from .848 in April to .748 in May. He’s ticking up to start June, but Verdugo has also struck out 72 times in 47 games to start the year.
The growing pains are to be expected as Verdugo began the season as the 12th-youngest player in the Midwest League and was repeating the level after hitting .186/.262/.299 in 25 games with the TinCaps to finish the 2024 season.
The Padres signed Verdugo in January 2022 out of Mexico for $700,000. He went on to start his career in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League instead of the Dominican Summer League, hitting seven homers as a 17-year-old.
Verdugo hit just three homers the next year at low Single-A Lake Elsinore (.640 OPS) and repeated the level the next year, hitting nine home runs in 81 games (.770 OPS) to earn the late-season call-up.
The right-handed-hitting Verdugo hit just one home over the next 25 games with Fort Wayne, but the Padres seen a powerful start to 2025 as a continuation of his maturation as a hitter.
Verdugo began the season with 62 doubles through his first three years in the organization.
Some of those were bound to start to go over the wall as he filled out a 5-foot-11 frame.
“Power is usually the last to come,” Padres assistant farm director Mike Daly said, “ … but he’s got a real ability to deliver the barrel to the ball.”
Verdugo is ranked No. 24 in the Padres system by MLB.com.
Designated hitter Sean Barnett (.777 OPS) drove in three runs on a triple and right fielder Braedon Karpathios (.809 OPS) went 2-for-3 with a double.
Right-hander Ian Koenig (2-3, 6.06 ERA) allowed two runs in six innings in the win.
Fort Wayne is 26-26.
Tuesday’s scoreboard
TRIPLE-A EL PASO (29-29)
Albuquerque 3, Chihuahuas 2 (10): 1B Trenton Brooks (.957 OPS) went 2-for-5 and drove in two runs on his 10th homer. RF Yonathan Perlaza (.802 OPS) went 2-for-4. SS Mason McCoy (.917 OPS) went 1-for-4 with a triple and a run scored to continue his rehab assignment. LHP Wes Benjamin (6.48 ERA) struck out five and allowed a run in 5⅔ innings in the start.
DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (28-24)
Midland 1, Missions 0: RHP Henry Baez (2.19 ERA) struck out seven and scattered four hits and three walks over 5⅔ shutout innings. RHP Stephen Jones (2-1, 1.74 ERA) struck out a batter and allowed a run in 1⅓ innings in the loss. 2B Marcos Castañon (.863 OPS) collected two of the Missions’ three hits, all singles.
LOW SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (25-27)
Storm 4, Modesto 2: 3B Zach Evans (.787 OPS) went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. RF Ryan Wilson (.695 OPS) went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. RHP Will Varmette (3-2, 4.80 ERA) struck out four over 5⅔ shutout innings in the win.
ROOKIE ACL PADRES (5-18)
Guardians 18, Padres 9 (11): DH Kale Fountain (.763 OPS) hit his first triple, drove in two runs, walked twice and scored three runs. He also stole his fifth base. RF Jesmaylin Arias (.532 OPS) went 2-for-5 with a double. DH Alcides Hernandez (.469 OPS) drove in two runs on two hits.
ROOKIE DSL BROWN (2-0)
Padres 5, Reds 1 (7): SS Jose Verdugo (1.292 OPS) went 1-for-2 with two RBIs, two walks and a run scored. 2B Abraham Bastidas (.900 OPS) went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and a run scored. RHP Wilfred Paca (1-0, 0.00 ERA) struck out three over three shutout innings in relief for the win. LHP Marco Eluscat (2.25 ERA) struck out four over four innings of one-run ball in the start.
ROOKIE DSL GOLD (2-0)
Padres 6, Dodgers 1 (7): SS Deivid Coronil (.889 OPS) went 2-for-4 with his first steal and a run scored. RF Eddson Martinez (.917 OPS) went 0-for-2 with two walks and three stolen bases. RHP Jose Ortega struck out five over three scoreless innings for the save. RHP Johan Minaya (1-0) struck out a batter over 3 ⅓ scoreless innings in the win. LHP Carlos Alvarez walked four and allowed an unearned run while recording two outs in the start.
