Padres minors: Testing Truitt Madonna, DSL Padres playing for title on Saturday

With the rookie-level Arizona Complex League finishing its schedule shortly after the draft, the Padres often send their college-aged selections to low Single-A Lake Elsinore before the end of the regular season.

Meantime, their high-schoolers usually take their initial steps in the unofficial Arizona “bridge league,” continue their education in the fall instructional league and begin their careers the following season, either right away with the Storm or later in the summer in the ACL.

But Truitt Madonna is different.

The Padres said as much when they signed the 18-year-old catcher for $654,000 as their 11th-round pick last month, wrestling him away from a commitment to UCLA.

Picks after the 10th round can be signed for up to $150,000 without counting against the draft pool, so such a sizeable amount — more than everyone but first-round pitcher Kruz Schoolcraft ($3.61 million) and fifth-round catcher Ty Harvey ($1.5 million) — represents outsized belief in Madonna.

So does a rare assignment as a high-schooler in the California League just weeks after the draft.

Madonna doubled in last week’s debut with the Storm and started his career back-to-back two-hit games. But he is hitless since after going 0-for-3 with a walk on Friday.

Madonna is hitting .133/.235/.167 with 15 strikeouts in eight games.

It’s a slow start to be sure, and perhaps not unexpected, but the Padres under A.J. Preller have never been a team to shy away from challenging their prospects.

Madonna’s upside, however, wasn’t the only factor in the aggressive assignment in Lake Elsinore. He was playing recently in the MLB Draft League for the Frederick Keys — he hit .279/.360/.512 with two homers in 12 games — so pushing Madonna on to the California League didn’t require the ramp-up that others do after sitting around for a while after the end of the senior season.

“One thing we liked is he is clearly not scared to jump out there and get at-bats,” Padres assistant farm director Mike Daly said. “He’d been playing a lot recently. It’s a little unique, but we ultimately felt the player was ready for it.”

Friday’s scoreboard

TRIPLE-A EL PASO (70-59)

Tacoma 11, Chihuahuas 9: RHP Logan Gillaspie (1-2, 6.80 ERA) allowed four runs in 4⅔ innings in the loss. 1B Tim Locastro (.777 OPS) drove in four runs and hit his seventh homer. C Luis Campusano (1.045 OPS) went 3-for-5 with a run scored. CF Clay Dungan (.817 OPS) and 3B Ripken Reyes (.733 OPS) each had two hits, with Reyes, SS Tyler Wade (.728 OPS) and LF Trenton Brooks (.924 OPS) all adding doubles. Reyes also tripled.

DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (60-64)

Frisco 6, Missions 3: RHP Enmanuel Pinales (5.60 ERA) struck out six but allowed two runs in 5⅔ innings in the start. RHP Adam Moore (3-3, 4.60 ERA) took the loss with three runs allowed in two-thirds of an inning in relief. 3B Devin Ortiz (.651 OPS) went 2-for-4 with an RBI. RF Moises Gomez (.676 OPS) went 1-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a walk.

HIGH SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (55-68)

Dayton 4, TinCaps 2: RHP Maikel Miralles (0-1, 4.50 ERA) allowed three runs on eight hits and a walk in six innings in the loss in his Midwest League debut. He struck out five. 1B Jack Costello (.632) hit his ninth homer. 3B Eguy Rosario (.326 OPS) went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.

LOW SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (55-69)

Storm 6, Rancho Cucamonga 5: LF Alex McCoy (.908 OPS) went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, a walk and a run scored. 3B Dylan Grego (.716 OPS) went 2-for-4 with a run scored. RF George Bilecki (.398 OPS) doubled in a run and 1B Kavares Tears (.701 OPS) hit a triple. RHP Kleiber Olmedo (5-6, 6.47 ERA) struck five while allowing a run in three innings in relief in the win. RHP Winyer Chourio (6.19 ERA) struck out six and allowed a run in four innings in the start.

ROOKIE DSL FINALS

Athletics 3, Padres Gold 1: RHP Raymel Belliard struck out a batter and allowed a run in five innings in a tough-luck loss that evened the best-of-three championship series. DH Isaac Ponce went 2-for-4 with an RBI. 2B Jose Verdugo went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. The deciding game is Saturday.