Minors: Jose Castillo on Padres’ radar; Ryan Weathers wins for El Paso

The trade deadline is still more than two months away, but the Padres certainly won’t have to wait that long to add bullets to their bullpen.

Adrián Morejón and Michel Báez are already on the second stops of their Tommy John rehab tour and Drew Pomeranz is slowly nearing his own rehab assignment. Beyond those three, another arm is forcing his way into the conversation:

Left-hander Jose Castillo.

The 26-year-old Venezuela struck out two more batters over a scoreless inning in Triple-A El Paso’s 9-5 win over Sugar Land on Friday.

Through 10 2/3 innings this year, Castillo has allowed just one unearned run and penned a 13-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio while moving from low Single-A Lake Elsinore to start a rehab assignment to the Chihuahuas, his first game action since 2019.

At that time, Castillo was coming off a stellar rookie season in which he struck out 52 batters while posting a 3.29 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP over 38 1/3 innings.

But Castillo missed the first four months of 2019 with a flexor strained and exited his first game back with a season-ending torn tendon in his middle finger.

A lat strain prevented Castillo from pitching in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season and Tommy John wiped away 2021.

Castillo was non-tendered after the season but chose to return to the Padres on a minor league deal.

To be sure, the Padres are in no need to rush Castillo — who is sitting 92-94 mph with his fastball and 83-85 mph with his slider — but he’s beginning to force his way into the conversation.

Friday’s scoreboard

TRIPLE-A EL PASO (25-21)

• Chihuahuas 9, Sugar Land 5: LHP Ryan Weathers (2-3, 6.91) allowed four runs on eight hits and a walk in 5 1/3 innings in the win. 1B Aderlin Rodriguez (.867 OPS) hit his organization-best 11^th homer and RF Matt Beaty (1.059 OPS) continued his rehab with a 3-for-5 effort that included a double, two RBIs and a run scored. DH Nomar Mazara (1.020 OPS) and 3B C.J. Hinojosa (.711 OPS) both drove in two runs on two hits. Hinojosa tripled and Mazara doubled. 2B CJ Abrams (.692 OPS) went 1-for-4 with an RBI, two runs scored and his fifth steal.

DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (23-20)

• Missions 8, Frisco 2: CF Esteury Ruiz (1.057 OPS) went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, a run scored and his 32^nd steal. 3B Connor Hollis (.932 OPS) hit his fifth homer and LF Korry Howell (.860 OPS) hit his fourth homer. 1B Juan Fernandez (.747 OPS) went 3-for-5 with a run scored and 2B Chris Givin (.614 OPS) went 1-for-5 with three RBIs. LHP Osvaldo Hernandez (4-1, 5.50) scattered two hits over 2 2/3 scoreless innings in relief for the win. RHP Moises Lugo (3.27) allowed an unearned run in 2 1/3 innings in the start. RHP Alek Jacob (2.92) struck out two over two scoreless innings. RHP Kevin Kopps (5.02) struck out three, walked a batter and allowed a run in two-thirds of an inning.

LOW SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (25-17)

• Inland Empire 7, Storm 1: RHP Jairo Iriarte (2-1, 3.82) allowed six runs – five earned – on four hits and four walks in 3 2/3 innings. SS Charlis Aquino (.856 OPS) went 2-for-3 and 2B Max Ferguson (.681 OPS) went 1-for-4 with an RBI.

Note: High Single-A Fort Wayne was rained out and will play a doubleheader on Saturday.