PEORIA, Ariz. — It’s either comical or tragic how long Luis Campusano has been in the Padres’ organization and how long ago he debuted in the major leagues and how much he has been jerked around and how much some in the organization have fought for him and how many in the organization have at one time or another given up on him.
And …
Here we are. Again.
This is the year. Again.
“No pressure,” Luis Campusano said with a grin.
Maybe this is different.
For one thing, such a quip by Campusano is something different, something he would not have said out loud in years past.
“If you want to change, you’ve got to change,” the 27-year-old Campusano said. “It took time. But everyone has their own path. People who know me, I’m glad they can see that a little bit more now, and I’m glad I can share a little bit more of myself.”
It has seemed that each of the past three years, at least, Campusano has made a concerted effort to not only grow as a catcher and a hitter but as a teammate.
His latest step is undeniable.
“More engagement, for sure,” pitcher Joe Musgrove said. “I think every player probably experiences it at some point. And I feel like he’s kind of realizing that, like, ‘What I’m doing is not working.’ His effort has always been there, but the engagement and the approach towards knowing your teammates better and being involved in the process of it, I think he’s put a lot more effort in that realm. And just like, in general, his overall wellbeing and mentality seems like it’s in a really good place. Like, he’s happy to be here again. He seems excited to work. He’s always here early, getting something done. Just a lot more engagement.”
Being communicative is paramount for a catcher. And talking a whole lot is not something that comes naturally for Campusano. Not everyone is outgoing. Some people are downright shy. Introverted does not adequately capture Campusano’s kind of quiet.
But when a catcher is quiet and he is young and he has trouble keeping up with what he is asked to do for a team trying to win, it can rub some people the wrong way.
There were times early in his Padres career that pitchers would not throw to Campusano. The past two Padres managers got to the point they would not put him behind the plate.
There is no doubt by virtually anyone in the organization that Campusano’s confidence was tattered at times.
Conversely, his new manager used to pitch to him and actually liked doing so.
“What I liked in a catcher was a really good target, a big target, and when he first came up, that’s what he had — great target,” said Craig Stammen, a sinkerballer in his day. “And he was good at catching the ball at the bottom of the zone, which always helped me.”
Stammen has made it a priority to make Campusano feel valued.
“It is intentional, but it’s also truthful, too,” Stammen said. “… I like the kid as a person, and I think there’s more in there to come out.”
Whether Stammen’s encouragement and Campusano’s animation manifests in him better handling pitchers and consistently hitting will play out in the coming months.
But the smiling, the joking, the talking — those are things the Padres see as building blocks toward Campusano being the player the team wants to believe is still in there six seasons after his big-league debut and nine years after they drafted him in the second round.
“I think literally, like the full organization, this whole building, is rooting for Campy,” pitching coach Ruben Niebla said. “We need Campy to be good.”
Peoria, AZ – February 18: Luis Campusano #12 of the San Diego Padres looks on during a spring trading practice on February 18, 2026 in Peoria, AZ. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The journey
Fate has shaped the trajectory of his career to some extent, and Campusano has had his struggles. But the Padres have at times twisted themselves into knots finding solutions behind the plate not named Luis Campusano.
Campusano, then just 21 years old, hit a home run his fourth time to the plate in his first big-league game, on Sept. 4, 2020, in Oakland. That was also his final plate appearance of the regular season. He sprained his left wrist in batting practice the next day and was placed on the injured list. He would pinch-hit once in that year’s National League Division Series, his only career postseason experience.
Campusano made the opening-day roster in 2021, but he was 3-for-34 with four walks and struggled receiving and calling games. He was in Triple-A for good by the end of April. An oblique injury ended his season in August.
New manager Bob Melvin, himself a former catcher who relied heavily on his catcher in game management, assessed in spring training in 2022 that Campusano was not ready to handle all he asked. Campusano played four games in April (none at catcher) and went 1-for-12. He was called up near the end of August and caught 10 of the Padres’ final 34 games. Five of those were starts by Musgrove, who took great care to prepare for each start with Campusano and attempt to help him grow as a catcher. Campusano was 11-for-36 in that span. He was on the roster for all three of the Padres’ postseason series but did not appear in a game.
Campusano began the 2023 season as Austin Nola’s backup and was 5-for-21 with a double and a homer through his first seven starts before tearing a ligament in his left thumb. He returned in July, by which time Nola was in Triple-A trying to work back from injury. Essentially splitting time with Gary Sánchez, Campusano hit .331 with an .875 OPS in 42 games before suffering a right ankle sprain in late September.
In Mike Shildt’s first season as manager, Campusano began 2024 as the Padres’ No.1 catcher. And he started hot, hitting .283 with a .765 OPS through his first 127 plate appearances. He then went 5-for-57 over his next 19 games. Kyle Higashioka started hitting home runs in June, and the two catchers split time until Campusano was placed on the injured list June 20 with a left thumb injury. He returned on July 7 and hit .211 (15-for-71) while catching 21 of the next 50 games. The Padres signed veteran Elias Díaz at the end of August, and Campusano’s season was over.
And then it got really crazy.
Campusano was called up three times in 2025 but never caught for the Padres. His first big-league stint, in early May, lasted three games, and he was the Padres’ designated hitter in all three. He was 0-for-6 with four walks. He was called up again on May 24 and did not appear in a game until he was called on to pinch-hit 17 days later. Four days after that, he went 0-for-4 as the DH before being sent down the next day. He served as DH on July 13, the day of his final call-up, before being sent down July 15.
In all, he went 0-for-21 with six walks and 11 strikeouts. For his career, he is a .240/.292/.372 hitter who doubles or homers every 14.4 at-bats.
Asked last week to reflect on 2025 and where all the years before have brought him, Campusano basically put forth his belief that a man is the sum of his experiences.
“I’ve thought about it, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, honestly,” he said. “It could be worse. I am just grateful for opportunities. You get beat up a lot, you kind of learn how to just deal with it. It could be a lot worse. The experiences learning that, I think it has helped. I have to be thankful for that.
“I guess everyone wants the goal of, like, starting their (MLB) careers young and having the (service) time. But it’s not about that either. You’ve got to go through things to help you be better prepared for the future.”
Luis Campusano #12 of the San Diego Padres kisses his bat before batting practice at the Peoria Sports Complex on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026 in Peoria, Ariz. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The contrast
The 0-fer Campusano put up in the major leagues last season can be dismissed on its own as being the way baseball goes sometimes.
But the way he looked in those at-bats — nine of the 10 balls he put in play were grounders to the left side — was in glaring contrast to his time in Triple-A.
No batter in Triple-A had a higher OPS (1.036), batting average (.336) or on-base percentage (.441) than Campusano did last season.
“He played with his mechanics a lot in years past, and then last year, he finally decided, ‘I’m just gonna get back to who I was at the beginning of my career.’” said Raul Padron, who was the hitting coach at Triple-A El Paso the past three seasons before joining the big-league staff as a hitting instructor this year.
Padron said Campusano struggled to adjust to the way he was pitched and the MLB strike zone last year.
“He had a plan,” Padron said. “He was trying to do something … and then at the end of the at-bat, he was like, ‘You know what? You’ve got to pull that trigger, because it’s different here.’ A big part of it was that. And sitting down for a couple of weeks, it was different. It will get you as a hitter.”
It must be pointed out, too, that Campusano’s Triple-A numbers were helped by playing in the arid and often elevated Pacific Coast League. But reports all year were that Campusano’s approach and attitude in Triple-A were superb.
“He fell in love with the game again,” El Paso manager Pete Zamora said. “… There was always a big, gigantic heart there. And sometimes, as we get older in life, trying to figure all that kind of stuff out … his journey brought his heart back. I saw the heart coming back, and I saw the smiles coming back, and it has kind of loosened him up. I mean, what a joy last year. He wasn’t like the team leader, rah-rah guy, but guys rallied around him, and they watched his work ethic.
“I think, over the years, misunderstood would probably be the term for him. I’ve always loved him because I understood the heart of this kid. … But I see the joy again and the love for teammates and the opening up to teammates.”
Triple-A is widely viewed as the worst level of professional baseball. No one wants to be there. It is so close to the majors, and it is full of guys who have been there and just want to get back.
“To go to Triple-A and do what he did there, that’s not easy when you think you’re a big-league player,” Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller said.
By all accounts, there was not a trace of resentment from Campusano.
“He caught all the bullpens,” Zamora said. “He did all the work. He was there early with Raul. They hit forever. You ask him a question, we have catching meetings, it was the most open I’ve ever seen Campy. He was opening up, offering the insight he has from playing the big leagues.”
Freddy Fermin #54 and Luis Campusano #12 of the San Diego Padres look on during spring training workouts at the Peoria Sports Complex on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026 in Peoria, Ariz.(Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The belief
Now, Campusano is back. He has been all but handed the job backing up Freddie Fermin.
This time, the Padres are not just counting on Campusano’s growth carrying forward. They are fostering that growth and have made a concerted effort to build his confidence by surrounding him with people he is familiar with and who have supported him.
Chief among them is the new manager.
“It definitely means a lot,” Campusano said of having Stammen as his manager. “We played together, and Craig knows me in and out. He’s taught me a lot, especially calling games and just learning how to learn, how to manage pitchers and understand what they like. It’s good, because he’s someone who understands.”
Besides Stammen and Padron, new catchers coach Kevin Plawecki played with Campusano in El Paso in 2023 and ‘24 and was the Padres’ roving catching instructor last year.
“Just having the relationship with him, the trust is there, and we’re able to have open and honest dialogue,” Plawecki said. “With anybody, that’s important. But with him, it’s going to be a big year for him. … I’ve seen tremendous growth, tremendous self-awareness. I see a different drive in him. He has gotten older, had experiences. Last year, he had a great year in Triple-A. You know, mentally, this game is brutal. … I think he’s just in a really good headspace. And whatever this year brings, I think he’s got the ability to handle it maybe a little bit better than in the past. It shows in his personality. I think he’s able to be himself.”
Campusano said it helps to be supported.
“Just having folks around that trust you and that are just gonna have your back takes some pressure off,” he said. “It was that way in Triple-A. I’m not saying the standards are any different anywhere else, but you still want to be able to feel confident, comfortable doing what you’re doing.”
Padron talked about Campusano last week after watching him barrel multiple balls in live batting practice. Padron acknowledged it is the beginning of spring, and the major leagues are different than Triple-A. But what he sees and says about Campusano aligns with what everyone else is seeing and saying.
“It is insane, to be honest with you, what I saw in Triple-A last year,” Padron said. “… He was believing. He was the guy. Right now I see that guy. … I think we’re gonna see that from him this time, because this guy is in a different spot. He’s mentally more prepared to do his thing. He knows what he needs to do to become that guy. He needs to be social with the pitchers. He needs to create relationships. He needs to do one thing as a hitter that is going to be working for him. Trust what he has, because he’s pretty good at it.”