The Padres have released right-hander Luis Patino, according to the MadFriars website. Patino was playing on a minor league contract signed back in January, and he’d posted a 2.63 ERA over 27 1/3 combined innings at the A-ball and Double-A levels this season, without any big league playing time.
Patino last pitched in the majors in 2023, as elbow problems during the spring of 2024 resulted in a Tommy John surgery at the very end of April. The Padres non-tendered Patino last winter and then re-signed him to the minors deal, which cleared some space off San Diego’s 40-man roster and also saved the team some money in the form of Patino’s projected $800K arbitration salary.
The right-hander made it back to game action almost exactly one year to the day after his TJ procedure, as his first rehab game with A-level Lake Elsinore took place on May 4. Besides a somewhat elevated walk rate, Patino was posting decent numbers during his time in the minors before injury problems surfaced again, as he has been on the Double-A injured list since late June due to elbow soreness.
This latest setback was apparently enough for the Padres to move on from Patino entirely, and it remains to be seen if the 25-year-old could be facing another surgery. Whatever the situation, Patino is now facing yet another crossroads in a pro career that began as a top-100 prospect during his first stint in San Diego’s farm system.
Patino has a 5.02 ERA, 20.2% strikeout rate, and 11.4% walk rate over 136 1/3 innings in the majors, starting 23 of his 45 career games. After making his MLB debut in the form of 17 1/3 innings with the Padres in 2020, Patino was part of the four-player package sent to the Rays in the Blake Snell trade that offseason. Patino spent parts of the next three seasons with the Rays before being traded to the White Sox in August 2023, and the Padres brought him back to their organization via waiver claim in December 2023.
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