Blake Hunt figures to make his MLB debut at some point this weekend.
Because Rodolfo Durán can’t catch every game.
Right?
For now, the 28-year-old journeyman will get a fifth straight start behind the plate to start a three-game series at the Texas Rangers.
Friday’s first pitch is at 5:05 p.m. on Padres.TV.
Friday at Globe Life Field. pic.twitter.com/AmvBhNOtOa
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 19, 2026
The increase in Durán’s workload is owed to Freddy Fermin landing on the concussion list on Sunday.
Durán homered in back-to-back games over the weekend in Baltimore to give him three longballs on the season. He is hitting .263/.263/.737 over his last six games but .159/.288/.432 on the season.
Hunt was added to the roster when Fermin hit the injured list on Sunday but the Padres’ former second-rounder has yet to get into a game.
The 27-year-old Hunt was hitting .289/.431/.533 with three homers in 15 games in the minors after an oblique injury delayed the start of his season.
Duran will hit ninth in a lineup that is at least in the same order as Wednesday’s.
The only changes are a few positions: eight-hole hitter Will Wagner (.768 OPS) is the DH after playing second on Wednesday, five-hole hitter Gavin Sheets (.756 OPS) is in left field, two-hole hitter Samad Taylor (.867 OPS) is in right field and leadoff hitter Fernando Tatis Jr. (.701 OPS) is at second base.
Here is how the Rangers (35-39) will line up for Game 1:
Kicking off Mexican Heritage Weekend at the ballpark! pic.twitter.com/e1LU7PHRQN
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) June 19, 2026
Friday’s pitching matchup
Padres RHP Randy Vásquez (6-4, 3.63 ERA)
The Padres had lost four start Vásquez starts (6.16 ERA) before he limited the Orioles to two runs in five innings in a win last weekend in Baltimore. He has a 2.08 ERA in six starts this year away from Petco Park. His only history with the Rangers was a quality start (6 IP, 2 ER) in a no-decision last year.
Here is how Vasquez has fared against current Rangers:
Rangers RHP Jacob deGrom (5-4, 3.17 ERA)
The two-time NL Cy Young-winner has allowed two or fewer earned runs in each of his last four starts (1.57 ERA) and leads the AL with 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings. His 5.39 strikeout-to-walk ratio over a 13-year career is an all-time record. deGrom has a 1.28 ERA over 10 career starts against the Padres but has not faced them since winning both starts in 2021 (13 IP, 0 ER, 21 Ks).
Only four Padres have history with deGrom:
3B Manny Machado (6-for-20, BB, 6 Ks)
OF Fernando Tatis Jr. (1-for-7, 2B, BB, 3 Ks)
SS Xander Bogaerts (1-for-6, 2B)
1B Ty France (0-for-2, RBI, K, SF)