Padres News: Lake Bachar Set to Make Major League Debut After Nine-Year Journey

The San Diego Padres are set to promote reliever Lake Bachar, marking a significant moment in his nine-year journey with the organization.

Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported the news with a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday.

Bachar, who was drafted in 2016, has been added to the 40-man roster after triggering an opt-out clause in his minor league contract. This move allows the Padres to make a single roster adjustment to accommodate him on the 26-man roster.

This season, Bachar has made a strong impression with Triple-A El Paso, posting a 4.12 ERA over 67.2 innings.

His success can be attributed to the development of a new splitter pitch, which helped him achieve a 2.69 ERA in 60.1 innings with Double-A San Antonio earlier this year.

Bachar’s path to the majors has been unique, Sanders wrote about it as well back in April. After starting as a pitcher for Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater, he faced challenges, including the loss of the 2020 season to the pandemic and undergoing Tommy John surgery.

These setbacks allowed him to spend valuable time with his father, who battled cancer for several years.

“I know in the beginning I was like, ‘Why did I have to have Tommy John now?’” Bachar said. “ … But there’s nothing more valuable than time.”

His status as a prospect was never as high as the likes of Cal Quantrill, Eric Lauer, Mason Thompson, Joey Lucchesi, Jesse Scholtens, Taylor Kohlwey, or David Bednar who all ascended to the major leagues before him but he has worked hard for his opportunity.

That work included "splitter camp" with former big league pitcher Hideo Nomo in the spring of 2023.

“My change-up wasn’t good,” Bachar said. “I needed to take more velocity off and get more vertical break. Killing spin was what I needed to do. I had big hands, so I tried it out.”

Now, as he prepares to make his big league debut, Bachar becomes the last player from the 2016 Padres draft class to reach the majors.

While he may not have been as highly regarded as some of his peers, his perseverance and hard work have finally earned him this opportunity.