Today is Luis Urias day!

There’s a good chance that this long losing streak has left you paying little attention to Padres baseball. Today the team is giving us a reason to stand up and take notice. Kevin Acee broke the news yesterday:

With the El Paso Chihuahuas heading into the postseason, many thought that the team would leave key players like Urias down in AAA so they could feel the thrill of a postseason run, but any ballplayer would tell you that the day they received their first call to the majors is one of the greatest days in their lives. Urias has certainly earned the job, riding a 15-game hitting streak while hitting an absurd .474/.530/.702 and playing superb defense at second base, shortstop, and even third base. While some have been critical of his strikeout rates, he’s been drawing walks and hitting so much that it’s really picking nits at this point.

As Acee noted, Urias is lined up to start today’s game against the Mariners, who send former ace Felix Hernandez to the bump. No corresponding move has been announced yet, but a 40-man roster spot is open so the most likely move is the optioning of Carlos Asuaje to fill the spot in El Paso. Rosters expand on September 1, meaning that all players on a team’s 40-man roster can be added to the active roster (no 25-man limit), so the timing of Urias’ call-up is a but curious but you’ll only find complaints from the staunchest of service time book-thumpers. Let’s not get hung up in the weeds, it’s time to celebrate the arrival of one of the Padres top prospects!