SAN DIEGO -- Padres prospects Hudson Potts and Buddy Reed excelled at Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore this season -- so much so, they were promoted to Double-A San Antonio, where they've largely struggled since.
The challenge of facing top-tier competition remains in front of both. Along with right-hander Hansel Rodriguez and catcher Austin Allen, Reed and Potts were the Padres' prospects selected to play for the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League, which begins in October.
Notably absent was No. 1 prospect Fernando Tatis Jr., who is recovering from a broken bone in his left thumb. Tatis will be out for the remainder of the Minor League season, but the Fall League seemed a possibility to make up for missed reps. Now, it appears likelier Tatis will suit up in the Dominican Winter League instead.
• Complete Arizona Fall League rosters
Each organization sends a handful of its top youngsters to the six-team Fall League. Each of those six teams combines prospects from five different big league clubs to make up a roster. The Padres must still add a couple of pitchers to the Javelinas roster, and those decisions will be made over the next week or two.
Potts and Reed starred at Lake Elsinore. Potts -- the No. 23 prospect in a loaded Padres system, according to MLB Pipeline -- has made strides defensively at third base and posted an .847 OPS there. That mark has dropped to .583 at San Antonio. Reed (No. 13), meanwhile, has seen a drop from a .921 OPS to .404 -- though he remains the same defensive and stolen-base threat, having swiped 50 bags this year between the two levels, while playing spectacular center field.
"Huddy and Buddy, great first half, two-thirds of the season in the Cal League," said Padres farm director Sam Geaney. "They saw the first taste of Double-A. A little bit of it's been a challenge and a struggle. Now, to them, it's about continuing to see some of that competition in the Fall League."
Allen, meanwhile, has torn up Double-A offensively. He's hitting .289/.352/.508.
"Austin's had a great year in Double-A," Geaney said. "He's shown a lot of power. The defense has continued to improve. The challenge for him is to continue to push forward with that defense in the Fall League."
• Complete Arizona Fall League coverage
Rodriguez has only made seven appearances (all in relief) this season at the lower levels of the San Diego system. He was limited by injuries for the first few months, and the Fall League affords him a chance to make up for missed time.
Urias bats second ... again
Padres second baseman Luis Urias spent the bulk of his Minor League career batting second. It's no coincidence he's been penciled into the No. 2 spot in each of his first three big league games.
"As comfortable as you can make the transition from the Minor Leagues to the Major Leagues ... and as bad as we needed on-base skills, which he has, it's really easy to write his name into that two-slot," manager Andy Green said.
Of course, Urias' presence near the top of the order isn't merely about comfort. If all goes according to plan, Urias -- the No. 22-ranked prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, and the top second baseman -- could be batting second in San Diego for a long time.
He doesn't possess much power, but he's posted a .397 on-base percentage in parts of his five Minor League seasons. In his eyes, that's his job, and he'll leave the power to the power hitters.
"Get on base, be patient," Urias said of his mindset as a No. 2 hitter. "If it's not my pitch, don't get out easily. I've got to try to make the pitcher work. I don't want to give away any ABs."
Noteworthy
• The Padres expect to activate right-hander Bryan Mitchell from the disabled list Saturday when rosters expand. Mitchell has missed nearly three months with a right-elbow impingement.
It's unclear what role Mitchell will fill, but he could start as soon as Monday when the Padres face the D-backs in Arizona. Left-hander Joey Lucchesi threw a career-high 108 pitches on Wednesday, and the Padres will consider giving Lucchesi an extra day off by pushing his start back.
• Green noted that none of the four Padres rookie starters -- Lucchesi, Eric Lauer, Brett Kennedy or Jacob Nix -- will be limited innings-wise through the remainder of the season. None are slated to eclipse their past innings totals by too significant a margin.
Plus, when Mitchell returns, it's likely the Padres go to a six-man rotation. But it's unclear whether that plan will last through September, as the Padres have five off-days next month.
• Lauer was activated from the disabled list Thursday, after missing a month with a left forearm strain. To clear room for his return, the Padres optioned righty reliever Colten Brewer to Triple-A El Paso.