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As of August 15, the San Diego Padres have a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West. Since the MLB trade deadline, the Padres have surged and have been red-hot, while the Dodgers have sputtered and fallen behind San Diego despite having a nine-game lead at the start of July. This marks the latest in the season the Padres have been in first place since 2010, so things are going well in San Diego.
The Padres' trade deadline acquisitions have paid dividends with Mason Miller, Ryan O'Hearn, Nestor Cortes, Freddy Fermin and Ramon Laureano all playing meaningful innings. JP Sears made one start before being sent down to Triple-A El Paso, but it should be a matter of time before Sears gets recalled.
With the rosters set to expand for the final month of the season, there are several players the Padres should call up to get an extended look.
Luis Campusano is an obvious choice
First and foremost, this is an obvious answer. Luis Campusano has been up and down quite a few times throughout his San Diego career. In total, he has appeared in 178 major league game with a .248 batting average and 17 home runs. In 2025, Campusano played in just 10 games and went hitless in 21 at-bats, leaving much to be desired for the talented catcher.
However, Campusano has been smacking the ball in Triple-A this season. In 78 games in El Paso, he has a .321 batting average with 21 home runs and 72 RBI.
On Thursday, Campusano hit another two home runs while going 3-for-5 in a 12-3 win over the Reno Aces.
Back to batting righty, and back to CRUSHING Home runs. Luis Campusano. pic.twitter.com/gcVoelV9Z2
— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) August 15, 2025
Currently, it has been Fermin who has been starting behind the dish lately after being acquired in a deadline deal with the Kansas City Royals. Fermin has hit well, too. As of August 15, the former Royals backup has a .355 average with one home run and five RBI across nine games. Veteran Elias Diaz has also seen some work, but Campusano's red-hot performance in Triple-A should prompt a September call-up.
Plus, San Diego can use him as a DH or in a bench role as a pinch-hitter and give him another look to see if he is a future piece of their team.
Jackson Wolf could be some insurance
The Padres pitching staff has been performing well. However, the Padres just sent Michael King back to the IL and recalled Randy Vasquez in the process. Furthermore, at some point the team will probably want to rest some starters for the playoffs, depending how the divisional race turns out.
Enter Jackson Wolf, the 26-year-old lefthander. Wolf made one appearance at the big league level in 2023 with San Diego, throwing five innings and giving up three runs on six hits while getting the win over the Detroit Tigers.
This year, he has a 5-2 record with a whopping 5.96 ERA in 16 games. He does have 75 strikeouts in 74 innings pitched, and while the ERA is high, he pitched well in Thursday's game.
The name is Wolf, Jackson Wolf 🐺
You've got to check out this play from the @Padres prospect for the @EPChihuahuas 😯 pic.twitter.com/1OIN8j063q
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) August 9, 2025
Wolf gave up just two runs on seven hits over five innings in the win over Reno, and it might be worth giving him a look as a potential spot starter or long relief role.
Although his ERA is high, the Padres might want to see what he can do at the big league level and see if he is worth holding on to or not going forward.
Tiro Ornelas would provide outfield depth
Finally, Tirso Ornelas is another choice that makes a lot of sense. The outfielder played in just seven games with the big league club this year, recording just one hit in 14 at-bats before going back to Triple-A.
The 25-year-old just returned from a long eight-week IL stint, but he has plenty of pop. On the year, he has a .299 average with five home runs and 36 RBI despite missing a large chunk of time.
In Thursday's win over Reno, he went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs, and two runs scored in a strong effort once again.
Ornelas has all sorts of pop in his bat as well.
First HR of 2025 for Tirso Ornelas pic.twitter.com/VvtJ7DKyRV
— Al Scott (@AlScott1998) April 9, 2025
The Padres outfield is crowded with Laureano, Gavin Sheets, Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. all there. But, Ornelas can be a much-needed bench bat and slot in to give those guys days off, especially as the season winds down.
Plus, he could gain valuable experience from being around those other stars for the final month of the season.
With the rosters expanding soon, it will be interesting to see if the Padres call up any of these guys or decide to go in a different direction.
