By Dan Hock
July 28, 2024
The Tampa Bay Rays have acquired right-handed pitcher Dylan Lesko, outfielder Homer Bush Jr. and catcher J.D. Gonzalez from the San Diego Padres in exchange for right-handed pitcher Jason Adam.
Lesko, 20, went 1-9 with a 6.46 ERA (69.2IP, 50ER) and 79 strikeouts in 16 starts for Class-A Fort Wayne. Selected by San Diego with the 15th overall pick in the 2022 First-Year Player Draft, he went 1-5 with a 5.45 ERA (33.0IP, 20ER) over 12 starts across three levels of the Padres system last season. Lesko is rated by MLB.com as the No. 76 overall prospect in baseball and No. 3 prospect in San Diego’s system. Entering the season, Baseball America tabbed Lesko as having the Best Changeup among all Padres minor leaguers.
Bush Jr., 22, hit .272 (80-for-294) with 10 doubles, four home runs, 16 RBI and 43 steals in 86 games for Class-A Fort Wayne. His 43 stolen bases are tied for eighth most in all of Minor League Baseball. Selected by San Diego in the fourth round of the 2023 First-Year Player Draft, he hit .325 (51-for-157) with nine doubles, three home runs, 17 RBI and 22 steals in 44 games across three levels of the Padres system last season. Bush Jr. is rated by MLB.com as the No. 8 prospect in San Diego’s system, while Baseball America tabbed him as the Fastest Baserunner among Padres minor leaguers entering 2024.
His father, Homer Bush, played parts of seven MLB seasons with the Yankees, Blue Jays and Marlins from 1997-2004, winning a World Series with New York in 1998.
Gonzalez, 18, hit .205 (33-for-161) with four doubles and 31 RBI across 48 games for Class-A Lake Elsinore in his professional debut. Selected by San Diego in the third round of the 2023 First-Year Player Draft, Gonzalez became the first Puerto Rican catcher selected in the first 10 rounds since the Athletics chose Santis Sanchez in the fifth round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft. Gonzalez is rated by MLB.com as the No. 12 prospect in San Diego’s system.
Adam, 32, went 4-2 with a 2.49 ERA (47.0IP, 13ER) and four saves in 47 appearances for the Rays this season. He went 10-7 with a 2.30 ERA (164.2IP, 42ER) and 24 saves across 170 appearances in three seasons with Tampa Bay.
COURTESY RAYS MEDIA RELATIONS
