Rough game Sunday was the outlier so far in excellent season for young Padres' catcher who has made just 47 career starts behind the plate
He started a third consecutive game at catcher for the first time in his MLB career in Sunday’s 12-2 loss to the Astros.
“This will be the best opportunity he’s had in the big leagues,” manager Bob Melvin said over the weekend. “... ‘Campy’ is gonna get a lot of looks. And for the first time in his career, he’s going to be an everyday guy.” Before Sánchez arrived and started hitting home runs at the end of May and Campusano returned from thumb surgery in July and began putting together what is now a .301/.341/.463 line, the Padres had gotten among the worst production of any team from their catchers from the start of 2015 through May 29 of this season.
He began the 2021 season on the roster when Austin Nola was hurt in spring training, and a couple rough outings catching for veterans set the tone for a season spent mostly in Triple-A. A combination of Nola struggling and Campusano performing well had him poised to assume the majority of the playing when, in mid-April, he suffered a torn thumb ligament and had surgery that sidelined him for three months.
“Over time, you get a feel of just consistently getting ABs,” he said. “… It’s just a matter of the comfort and confidence coming in there.”