Padres roster review: Tirso Ornelas

Position(s): Outfielder
Bats / Throws: Left / Right
2026 opening day age: 26
Height / Weight: 6-foot-3 / 200 pounds
How acquired: Signed as an international amateur in July 2016 (Mexico)
Contract status: Made MLB debut in 2025; will not be arbitration-eligible until 2029 at the earliest
fWAR in 2025: Minus-0.2
Key 2025 stats: .071 AVG, .188 OBP, .071 SLG, 0 HRs, 1 RBI, 0 runs, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, 0 steals (7 games, 16 plate appearances)

.465 — Ornelas’ slugging percentage over parts of four seasons in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Ornelas’ groundball tendencies have suppressed power potential throughout his career, but, with an emphasis on lifting the ball, he hit a career-high 23 homers in 2024 (.297/.367/.497) and hit 10 more in 82 games at Triple-A El Paso in 2025 (.289/.384/.450).

Down — Among the longest continuously tenured members of the organization, Ornelas fetched $1.5 million from the Padres as part of their haul in the 2016-17 international class. He’s always looked the part of a power hitter and demonstrated above-average plate discipline, but in-game power didn’t show up consistently in the minors until 2024 (see stat to note). Ornelas was added to the 40-man roster in July 2024 and was called up for the first time in April amid a rash of injuries to the big-league team. Ornelas went 1-for-14 during that stint, his only time with the big-league team. His return to Triple-A El Paso was interrupted by a nearly two-month-long stint on the injured list with a bout of plantar fasciitis. In all, Ornelas played just 82 games at El Paso in 2025, as he paired 10 homers and 57 RBIs with a .289/.384/.450 batting line.

Ornelas made his MLB debut in 2025, but did not do anything in limited action to raise his floor beyond a fourth outfielder. He’s played about a dozen games at first base over the last two years to increase his versatility, but Ornelas will compete for a bench job this spring. He has one option year left.