Padres Agree to Minor League Deal with Outfielder Kala’i Rosario, per Report

The San Diego Padres have agreed to a minor league contract with former Minnesota Twins outfielder Kala’i Rosario, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Rosario, 24, hit .260 with 22 home runs, 54 RBIs and an .845 OPS in 100 games between Double-A Wichita and Triple-A St. Paul in 2026. The right-handed hitter split his home runs evenly between the two stops.

His production picked up at Triple-A. Rosario hit .298 and slugged .563 in 42 games for St. Paul, finishing with an .913 OPS. He hit 11 home runs in 151 at-bats there, matching his total from 203 at-bats with Wichita.

The Twins selected Rosario in the fifth round of the 2020 draft out of Waiakea High School in Hilo, Hawaii. He won the Midwest League MVP award with High-A Cedar Rapids in 2023 and tied for the Arizona Fall League lead in home runs that fall, according to MLB Pipeline.

An elbow injury cost him time in 2024, but he returned to the Arizona Fall League that year. He followed that with a 25-homer, 25-steal season at Double-A in 2025, setting Wichita’s single-season home run record.

Rosario has played primarily in the outfield corners. His power is the obvious draw, though he struck out 128 times in 414 plate appearances last season. He also drew 53 walks, which helped him reach base at a .365 clip across both levels.

The Padres have several roster needs to address this winter, led by a rotation with multiple openings. They’ve already added a pitcher in former Houston Astros right-hander Ryan Weiss. Rosario’s agreement gives them a younger player to evaluate on the position-player side.

San Diego cycled through bench bats last season, and Austin Hays was one of the more productive hitters in that group. Rosario brings right-handed power to the organization’s outfield depth, with his Triple-A stint offering the clearest indication of what he might contribute.

The immediate question is whether Rosario can sustain that power over a longer stretch at Triple-A while cutting down on strikeouts. Eleven home runs in 42 games was a promising first look at that level. The minor league deal gives the Padres a chance to see what he does with more time against upper-level pitching.