The 2026 season for MLB minor league affiliates begins today with some Triple-A teams starting their schedules. The El Paso Chihuahuas, Triple-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres, plays their first game on the road versus the Sacramento River Cats. The roster features multiple players who played with the major league team during spring games with right-handed starter J.P. Sears, relievers Garrett Hawkins and Alek Jacob and infielder Mason McCoy all on the Padres’ 40-man roster.
Infielder Will Wagner is starting the season on the IL with an oblique strain.
The Double-A affiliate San Antonio Missions and Low-A affiliate Lake Elsinore Storm both begin their seasons on April 2. The High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps begin play on April 3. The rosters for these teams have not been released and likely won’t be available until next week.
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New rules for 2026
Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is the testing ground for the new rules that the MLB is discussing for the major league side. There are multiple new rules being implemented this year in order to evaluate if they should be installed in MLB.
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Moving second base – The second base bag will be placed within the perimeter of the infield diamond. The bag will be closer to home plate and be approximately nine inches closer to first base and third base. The hope is this encourages more base stealing, which has diminished significantly and was also encouraged by enlarging the size of the bases. The bags will only be moved in the International League and during the second half of the season.
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Swing rules – Starting May 5, the Pacific Coast League will have a Check Swing Challenge system with players allowed to appeal an umpire’s call on whether the player swung at a pitch. Bat-tracking technology will be used and a swing will be a strike when the angle between the bat head and the bat handle is greater than 45 degrees. Teams will start a game with two challenges and can be used for either ball/strike or swing/no-swing calls.
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Hitter pitch clock regulations – Due to the increase in game time last season (2 hours and 38 minutes average) from the season before (2 hours 36 minutes), new rules are coming for the pitch clock. Batters will be limited in timeouts called during an at-bat. For Single-A: no timeouts except for special circumstances (equipment issues, brush back, dirt in the eye). In High-A time can be called with runners on base. In Double-A and Triple-A, time can be called but the umpires will not wait for the batter to be ready before restarting the clock. Hitters have to be ready before the clock hits eight seconds.
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Pitcher clock regulations – In Triple-A, if a pitcher claims a Pitch-Com issue this will be called a mound visit. If the team is out of mound visits then a pitcher will have a violation charged. In Double-A, the disengagement limit will be decreased to one from two. All mound visits will be timed and everyone who is not the pitcher has to be off the mound by the end of the time or a violation will be charged to the pitcher. This will be at all levels of the minors.
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Pitchers returning to game – The rule commonly seen in Spring Training, with the pitcher removed in one inning and then returning the next inning, will be implemented in the Arizona Fall League, Florida Complex League and the Dominican Summer League. The pitcher must throw at least 25 pitches in the original inning in order to be removed and returned the following inning.
Players to watch in Padres minor leagues
There are a handful of players that bear watching more closely this season as they are returning from injury or transitioning in their careers. Gaslamp Ball will again have weekly reports covering the Padres minor league teams and players.
Catcher Ethan Salas, returning to play after missing most of 2025, has added bulk and mental reps while out of commission. He will be the primary catcher for Double-A San Antonio and seems determined to show that he is still an upper-level prospect for MLB.
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LHSP Kruz Schoolcraft, the high school pitcher drafted in the first round last year, will begin with the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm in the rotation. His development could be quick and lead to a promotion mid-season. He is considered an advanced prospect at 18 years old.
RHSP Kannon Kemp, could have a breakout this season after being fully recovered from shoulder issues that plagued him early in his career. He gained some velocity last season as he worked back from his injury and will hopefully turn the corner this season.
RHSP Michael Salina, had Tommy John surgery before being drafted by the Padres in 2025. He should be with a team (probably Lake Elsinore) this May or June. He highlighted significant velocity before his injury.
RHP Lan-Hong Su, impressed in his one inning in the Spring Breakout game, throwing strikes with a 96-98 mph fastball and his curveball and changeup were also effective. He throws a slider to round out his pitch mix. Due to his lack of any previous work in the system he will likely be in extended Spring Training for evaluation before being assigned.
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RHP Triston McKenzie, was seen in multiple spring games and featured increased velocity (up to 98 mph) but was unable to command any of his pitches consistently. He seems to be a project that could be an interesting investment should he be able to return to the pitcher he was prior to his multiple arm injuries.
Infielder Jorge Quintana, has also added bulk this offseason and is a switch-hitter. He should show more of what he is capable of this season and turns 19 on the first day of the Lake Elsinore season. He might be the star of that roster and should be watched as his skillset develops. He was the top International signing for the Brewers in 2024, earning a seven-figure bonus, before being traded to the Padres.
Outfielder Kale Fountain, has prodigious power to go with his size (6-5/225) and begins the season fully healthy after returning last year from Tommy John surgery. The Padres are moving him from the infield to the outfield now that he is rehabbed from the TJ and a knee injury last season. He should start with Lake Elsinore and might still get work in the infield despite playing outfield all through spring camp.
First baseman Romeo Sanabria, opened eyes in Spring Training while playing in some major league games. He led the team in RBI and hit three doubles and two home runs to go with his 11 RBI. He has had some ups and downs while playing last season and worked on conditioning during the offseason to maintain endurance. The potential is there and he needs to maintain consistency through a whole season. After playing last year with the Double-A Missions, he will likely return there to start 2026.
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Outfielder Ryan Wideman, was drafted in 2025 and got a brief debut with Lake Elsinore last summer. He has a high-upside profile but significant swing-and-miss risk. If he can cut down his chase rate and improve on his contact skills, his defense and speed profile as a top centerfield prospect.
