The San Diego Padres placed outfielder/designated hitter Gavin Sheets on the paternity list prior to Sunday’s home game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
San Diego recalled catcher Luis Campusano from Triple-A El Paso in a corresponding move.
Campusano is batting seventh and serving as the designated hitter against the Phillies.
Sheets can miss up to three games while on the paternity list. He’ll likely just miss Sunday’s game with the All-Star break beginning Monday.
Sheets, 29, has been a surprise strong contributor after the Padres signed him as a free agent shortly before the start of spring training.
He has 14 homers and 50 RBIs in 92 games with his career bests being 15 and 53, respectively, for the Chicago White Sox in 2022. Sheets’ .265 average also is on track to be a career high.
Sheets is now a fixture in left field after the Padres had trouble getting production from the spot earlier this season.
Overall, Sheets is batting .237 with 60 homers and 225 RBIs in 527 career games with the White Sox (2021-24) and Padres.
Campusano, 26, was hitless in 18 at-bats with nine strikeouts in nine games with the Padres earlier this season. All seven of his starts during that stint were at designated hitter.
Campusano was rated the No. 4 prospect in the San Diego organization in 2020.
But he experienced troubles on the defensive side and there were reports claiming many Padres’ pitchers were less than enamored with the way he called a game and with his overall catching abilities.
Campusano’s bat showed life in 2023 when he batted .319 in 49 games but he threw out just one of 30 base stealers.
He got a more extended shot last season. But he batted just .227 with eight homers and 40 RBIs in 91 games and threw out just eight of 49 base stealers.
San Diego has received very little offensive production from the catching position this season. Elias Diaz is batting .198 with four homers and 12 RBIs in 75 games and Martin Maldonado is hitting .178 with four homers and 10 RBIs in 56 games.
–Field Level Media
