Padres Promote Prospect From Tijuana to Major League Roster

Maren Angus-Coombs | Jul 18, 2024

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

The San Diego Padres have selected outfielder Tirso Ornelas to their 40-man roster and optioned him to Triple-A El Paso on Thursday, according to the team's transaction log.

San Diego had a roster spot open due to Yu Darvish being placed on the restricted list before the All-Star break. No corresponding move is required at this time.

The 24-year-old free agent signed with the Padres as an international free agent out of Tijuana, Mexico. The Padres gave him a $1.5 million signing bonus back in 2016. His journey to this point has not been a straight line, as the outfielder's career has had several ups and downs.

Tirso Ornelas grand slam tonight for El Paso pic.twitter.com/IJVT6MAWui

— Al Scott (@AlScott1998) June 29, 2024

Ornelas has played outfield and first base, but most of his playing time has been in right and left field throughout his professional career. With Fernando Tatis Jr. on the injured list with a stress reaction in his right femur, the Padres are taking an extra precaution adding an outfielder to the roster.

Ornelas put up respectable numbers in rookie ball back in 2017, hitting .276/.399/.408. However, his 2019 season saw a dramatic dip to .217/.303/.279 across Rookie ball and High-A.

Minor league baseball was cancelled in 2020 and Ornelas' numbers improved during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Last year with Double-A he slashed .284/.381/.473 with 11 home runs in 72 games. He also reached Triple-A last season, appearing in 55 games and batting .285/.358/.425.

This season has been unreal in El Paso. His .316/.390/.515 batting line is one of the best in the Pacific Coast League and he has 12 home runs through 74 games.