Blake Hunt: Everything you need to know

Hunt (oblique) has gone 5-for-13 with a home run, a double, a walk, four RBI and three runs in four games for Triple-A El Paso since being reinstated from the 7-day injured list last week. Hunt opened the season on the IL after tweaking his oblique early in spring training, but he made enough progress to begin a rehab assignment in mid-May. The 27-year-old catcher was cleared to rejoin El Paso after posting a 1.167 OPS over seven games during his rehab stint in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League.

Hunt is dealing with an oblique injury and has been shut down, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Hunt signed a minor-league pact with San Diego in December and has been taking part in the team's big-league camp, though he hasn't seen action in any spring games. The 28-year-old isn't on the team's 40-man roster and wasn't expected to be a serious contender for a spot on the Padres' Opening Day roster even prior to suffering the injury. San Diego added fellow catcher Brendan Durfee to major-league camp to take Hunt's place.

The Padres signed Hunt to a minor-league contract Tuesday. Hunt spent the 2025 season at Triple-A Tacoma in the Mariners organization, slashing .272/.368/.452 with eight home runs in 68 contests. The 27-year-old was up in the big leagues briefly with the Orioles in 2024 but is still looking to make his major-league debut. Hunt was originally selected by the Padres in the second round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft before being traded to the Rays in the Blake Snell deal.