EL PASO – September 9, 2026 – The San Diego Padres have promoted their No. 12 prospect Luis Gutierrez and No. 19 prospect Braedon Karpathios.
Gutierrez, a left-handed pitcher from Cabimas, Venezuela, has made 11 starts across three of San Diego’s affiliates, including the ACL Padres, High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps, and Double-A San Antonio Missions. In six starts for the Missions, Gutierrez is 1-2 with a 4.19 ERA. He has 22 strikeouts in 19.1 innings and has allowed 19 hits and seven walks.
The Padres signed Gutierrez on his 16th birthday, July 31, 2019. He has since spent all six seasons of his minor league career in the organization. He made a career-high 21 starts and 25 appearances in 2025, pitching for four different affiliates. On September 21, 2025, Gutierrez made his Triple-A debut with the El Paso Chihuahuas, after tossing 5.0 innings against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys. He is the Padres’ second-highest left-handed pitching prospect behind Kruz Schoolcraft.
Outfielder Braedon Karpathios also joins El Paso, receiving his first promotion to Triple-A. The Padres’ No. 19 prospect put together a strong season with the Missions. In 120 games with San Antonio this season, Karpathios batted .268 with 22 doubles, three triples, 17 home runs, and 73 RBI. He ranked 7th in hits (120), 8th in RBI (73), and tied 8th in total bases (199) when he was promoted from the Texas League.
Karpathios has now hit 20 doubles in three straight seasons and recorded double-digit home runs in back-to-back campaigns.
In addition to Gutierrez and Karpathios, catcher Anthony Vilar was promoted to Triple-A. The Florida native started the season with the El Paso Chihuahuas and played in 53 games, batting .233 with 10 doubles, three home runs, and 15 RBI. Vilar was sent to San Antonio in early August.
The 2026 season continues Wednesday, September 9, as the El Paso Chihuahuas (21-43, 56-83) take on the Tacoma Rainiers (34-30, 67-72) for game two of a six-game series.
First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Mountain Time at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, WA. The game will air on 600 ESPN El Paso and www.epchihuahuas.com.