ATLANTA — Adrian Morejón was a little overwhelmed Monday.
“Right now, I’m feeling weird,” he said, “because I started thinking too much last night.”
That seems just about as it should be.
The journey to becoming an All-Star relief pitcher at 26 years old began with a defection from Cuba when he was 15 and has included a number of detours to the injured list in the minor leagues and major leagues.
“When I received the news I (would) come here, I felt weird, happy, I feel everything in that moment,” said Morejón, conducting his first extended interview with The Union-Tribune in English. “Because I know I have (been around) a long, long time; I have injuries every year. And I feel very happy that last year and this year I’m feeling healthy. That’s one of the biggest goals all my career. And finally, I feel good right now.”
The Padres have five players at this year’s All-Star game, the most to actually attend the game since 1998. They are the first team to ever have three relief pitchers named All-Stars.
There are reasons to find joy in and be proud of the selection of Manny Machado, who will start at third base for the National League in Tuesday’s game, right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. and relievers Jason Adam and Robert Suarez.
But when Morejón was named a replacement for Zack Wheeler, who pulled out in order to rest during the All-Star break, that is the one that tickled the Padres the most.
It was not just that Morejón became the Padres’ first homegrown All-Star since Jake Peavy in 2007.
That Morejón made it through so many stops and starts, improving his body and mind and his pitching arsenal along the way, is what has been gratifying to longtime members of the organization.
“I’m happy for him,” said bullpen coach Ben Fritz, whose eyes brimmed as he spoke. “Just seeing his evolution through the game, it is special having the opportunity to be here from then until now and seeing it happen.”
Fritz was Morejón’s first manager in rookie ball in 2017. He also worked with Morejón off and on after becoming the Padres’ rehab pitching coordinator. And, along with pitching coach Ruben Niebla, Fritz has worked with Morejón the past three seasons as a member of the bullpen.
“I’m grateful and very happy for representing the Padres,” Morejón said. “And every time, I say thank you to Ruben and Fritz, who helped me. Fritz is my first manager here. He has been a long way with me with rehab and injuries and everything, and I feel very happy to come here and represent everybody.”
Morejón signed with the Padres when he was 17, the most heralded member of the team’s record $80 million international recruiting class in 2016. He made his major league debut three years later.
With his high-90s fastball and a knuckle curve and slider that could get outs as well, Morejón showed sporadic signs of why he was so valued as a prospect.
But not once from the time he signed through 2023 did he make it through a full season without going to the injured list.
Then in 2024, after committing to a different workout regimen, changing his arm slot to help keep his shoulder healthy, refining his focus and experiencing a natural maturation, he pitched in 60 games while posting a 2.83 ERA.
“Once you’re healthy and pitching, you can work on some other things,” Niebla said. “… and credit to him, he also took a step back and was able to identify some things in his off-the-field stuff as far as work ethic and the mental aspect of the game that he took ownership of. Now we’re seeing the fruits of that.”
Morejón so far this season has a 1.85 ERA and 0.82 WHIP over 43⅔ innings. His 47 appearances are tied with teammate Jason Adam for second most in the major leagues, and his ERA ranks fifth among the 27 NL relievers with at least 40 appearances. His WHIP is third lowest among the 88 relievers in the NL with at least 25 appearances. And he has allowed just four of the 29 runners he has inherited to score, a 13.8% rate that ranks third in the NL among relievers who have inherited at least 19 runners.
And so here he is.
“I was never thinking last season or three years (ago) I’d be an All-Star,” Morejón said. “This year, the last couple weeks, everybody on the team told me, ‘You are maybe gonna be an All-Star.’ Every time I say, ‘Oh, I am not thinking about that too much.’ And when I was thinking about it, I don’t feel that’s possible. But that’s possible right now.”
Carroll on Merrill
Many players have talked about going through what Jackson Merrill has endured this year. The Padres’ 22-year-old center fielder is working his way through a sort of sophomore slump that has through his first 64 games of 2025 seen him hit .260 with a .739 OPS, numbers that are down 32 and 87 points, respectively, from his sensational rookie season.
There is one young player in the NL West who can especially relate to an extended skid right after bursting onto the scene so spectacularly.
Diamondbacks right fielder Corbin Carroll was voted the NL Rookie of the Year after hitting .285 with an .868 OPS in 2023. He began 2024 by hitting .192 with a .557 OPS over his first 60 games in ‘24.
“It hurts because you care,” Carroll said Monday. “And I’m sure he’s going through it a little bit right now. But I’ve got all the confidence in the world that he’s gonna figure it out. He’s too good of a hitter. I’ve seen him hit lefties, hit righties, line drives all over the park. That’s who he is, and I think he’ll be just fine.”
Carroll ended up posting an .871 OPS over his final 98 games last season and arrived at this year’s All-Star break with an .874 OPS.
Asked what counsel he would offer Merrill, Carroll said: “With a player like him, I feel like he doesn’t need my advice. He’s so incredibly talented that I feel like everyone’s kind of on the same page of, like, this is just a bump in the road with the kind of player he is. He’s a superstar.”
Machado’s spot
The Dodgers’ Dave Roberts, who is managing the NL team, announced Monday that Machado will bat fifth.
Machado is making his fourth start in an All-Star game and his second for the Padres. His last start came in 2021.
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